Arthur Douglas Merriman, (25 November 1892 – 2 November 1972) was a government scientist with the

Ministry of Supply The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. A separate ministry, however, was responsible for aircr ...

, a British Army officer, and a recipient of the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...

Early life and career

Merriman was born in Manchester in 1892. On 22 July 1917, during the First World War, he received a temporary commission as a second lieutenant in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, and was confirmed in his rank and promoted to temporary lieutenant on 3 November. He entered France as an acting captain on 3 April 1918 (promoted 2 July). He was decorated with the Legion d'honneur, and relinquished his commission on 25 September 1919, leaving the army as a captain. In the 1930s he was a teacher in Wallsend, before becoming Secretary of the Faculty of Architects and Surveyors, in March 1938. They later awarded him an honorary fellowship, shortly before the events for which he was awarded the George Cross.

Second World War

With the outbreak of the Second World War, he returned to ordnance work as a civilian government scientist, defusing German bombs around the United Kingdom, under the cover occupation of an inspector of air raid shelters. In 1940 the '' Luftwaffe'' were continually bombing London as part of the Blitz. When a bomb dropped on

Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Place ...

on 11 September 1940, Merriman proceeded to remove most of the explosive from the bomb. When it did detonate, it caused minimal damage and for his actions he was awarded the George Cross on 3 December 1940. The George Cross is the highest award for bravery that can be awarded to civilians in the United Kingdom. Merriman's George Cross citation appeared in the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

'' on 3 December 1940: On 1 January 1941 he was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

and given the acting rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. His war-substantive rank was increased to lieutenant with effect from 1 January 1942, and later that year to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. On 6 January 1944 he was named an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for "gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East". He was Scientific Adviser to the Commander-in-Chief Middle East.

Later life

In 1946 he became Registrar-Secretary of the

Institution of Metallurgists The Institution of Metallurgists was a British professional association for metallurgists, largely involved in the iron and steel industry. History It was founded in 1945. The inaugural meeting was held on 28 November 1945; the organization was for ...

, a post he held until 1957. On 12 December 1955 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of London. In 1967 he became Master of the

Worshipful Company of Tin Plate Workers The Worshipful Company of Tin Plate Workers ''alias'' Wire Workers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. Tin craftsmen were originally part of the Ironmongers' Company, while the wire workers, who made wire objects such as cages, ...

. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following recommendations in the Robbins Report. The institut ...

in 1969.University of Surrey website
, accessed 19 November 2007 He died in 1972. On 27 June 2013 '' The Daily Telegraph'' reported that Merriman's George Cross had been put up for auction by his nephew, with an estimate of £60,000.

Early life and career

Second World War

Later life

References

Further reading