Further to 'Gallantry Again!' (Swansea Docks and the Blitz)

On the evening of 17 January 1941, my father, Edward David Price (P C 35 Price of the (then ) Swansea Police Force) was on duty in the docks area of Swansea during 'a heavy enemy air attack'. He had some experience of firefighting, as he lived in the single Men's Mess at the central Police Station at the time, where the young men also formed the fire brigade. (They were paid only if a fire lasted for more than an hour. The superior officers made sure that fires rarely lasted that long!)
My father organised men to fight the fires, lashed hoses to the jibs of cranes in order to position them more effectively and also commandeered a truck to fetch more men from a police station, since there was no telephone contact possible. In the situation he had removed his police helmet and jacket. On later reflection, he felt that this had been a mistake, as men would have rallied more quickly to a police officer than to a 'civilian'.

These events are also described in the 'Great Western Railway Magazine'(Vol 53 No 3 March 1941 (Insurance Edition - Two Pence) in an article entitled 'Gallantry Again!' which describes the bravery of Great Western employees during 'a night raid of considerable intensity, in which many incendiary and high-explosive bombs were used...made on one of the Company's South Wales ports.
At this centre, under extremely testing circumstances, there were shown some splendid examples of courage and resource.'
At the end of the article the following paragraphs appear in bold type.

'To the account of these stirring deeds must be added the fine story of an anonymous hero. This man was not, so far as the dock management has been able to ascertain, one of the Company's employees. He was, however, on the dock at the time the raid commenced and at once 'joined in' without invitiation.
He carried hoses up the jibs of cranes and lashed them into position so that they played upon the heart of the fire. When it is known that the crane-boxes of these cranes were burned out, the extreme difficulty and courage of this task will be appreciated.
This man remained asisting the firefighting operations at the shed throughout the raid, and quietly left without telling anyone who he was, wgen it was obvious that the fire was well in hand and everything was over.
We should be glad if his identitiy were known'

This man was my father.
He received a civil defence medal and a Commendation for brave conduct which appeared in the London Gazette of 19 December 1941.

Edward David Price 17/11/1912 - 02/03/1996

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