Lieutenant-Commander John Bryan Peter Duppa-Miller, GC (born Miller; 22 May 1903 – 15 December 1994) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

officer who was awarded 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 ...

for his "great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty" in bomb disposal work during

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

of late 1940. He was attached to and rendered safe many unexploded devices safe, including several parachute mines that fell onto the bank of the River Roding in Essex.

George Cross

Temporary Sub-Lieutenant Miller, working closely with Able Seaman Stephen Tuckwell, defused and rendered safe numerous enemy bombs and mines. They were both awarded the George Cross for dealing with a parachute mine that had fallen into the soft mud bank of the Roding River, which runs into Barking Creek. Sub-Lieutenant Miller commandeered a canoe and having put this on a fire-float with the UXB kit, he and Tuckwell ventured out into the river. They then left the River Fire Service fire-float and went on in the canoe, until they sighted the black rim of the mine which was stuck in the mud by the nose. Tuckwell refused Miller's a suggestion that he should retire to a place of safety. He pointed out that as Sub-Lieutenant Miller would be working under at least a foot of water he would need someone to hand him the tools. They managed to get out one fuse, but could not reach the other, so appealed to several crane-drivers who had come to see what was happening, and they at once volunteered to help. The two experts got back into the water, put ropes round the mine, and with the assistance of the crane-drivers, the huge cylinder was dragged slowly out of the creek, over the muddy bank and up on to the wharf. The final stages of the operation were then completed.

Citation

His award was cited 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 ...

'' of 14 January 1941.''London Gazette'', dated 14 January 1941
/ref>

Personal life

Miller married three times. Miller's second wife was

Clare Heald Clare Mary Heald (née Harding) (28 August 1895 – 11 March 1973), or as she was to become later when she remarried, Clare Miller, was a well-known Equestrianism, horsewoman in her day, and horrified the hierarchy of racing in 1930 by applying fo ...

(née Harding), a well-known horsewoman in her day. One of his sons by his first wife was a Conservative MP, Hilary "Hal" Miller.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duppa-Miller, Jack British recipients of the George Cross Royal Navy officers Military personnel from Devon Royal Navy recipients of the George Cross Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Military personnel from Birmingham, West Midlands People educated at Rugby School Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford 1903 births 1994 deaths Bomb disposal personnel Royal Navy officers of World War II