Ivor John Gillett, GC (16 September 1928 – 26 March 1950) was a British airman 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 ...

. Serving with the Far East Flying Boat Wing of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

, Gillett was posthumously awarded the George Cross for the gallantry he displayed on 26 March 1950 following an explosion on board a

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...

George Cross

Gillett was on board a

that exploded at its moorings in

Seletar Seletar is an area located in the north-east of Singapore. Its name can also refer to the Seletar Planning Area (as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority), situated in the North-East Region of Singapore. The place name was derived from th ...

on 26 March 1950. The plane sank quickly and Gillett was thrown a life belt by rescuers on a launch. He selflessly threw the belt to an injured corporal, whom the rescue team had not spotted, and the belt kept the man afloat until he was rescued. The corporal had by then lost consciousness and would otherwise have drowned. Gillett disappeared in the confusion and his body was discovered two days later. His citation, published 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 October 1950, read:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillett, Ivor John 1928 births 1950 deaths British recipients of the George Cross Royal Air Force recipients of the George Cross Royal Air Force airmen Accidental deaths in Singapore Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Singapore