John Sedgwick Gregson,
GC (4 January 1924 – 25 December 2016) was an apprentice in the
British Merchant Navy who was awarded the
Albert Medal during the
Second World War. This was later replaced with 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 ...
.
Second World War
Gregson served aboard as part of
Operation Pedestal
Operation Pedestal ( it, Battaglia di Mezzo Agosto, Battle of mid-August), known in Malta as (), was a British operation to carry supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was a base from which British ...
, a British operation to carry supplies to the island of
Malta in August 1942. On the morning of 12 August, ''Deucalion'' and other members of the convoy came under attack off the
Tunisian coast.
An account of the ''Deucalion'' attack, and notice of Gregson's award of the
Albert Medal was published in ''
The London Gazette'' on 2 February 1943, reading:
Later life
Gregson moved to New Zealand in 1952, where he worked on the coastal tanker fleet, and later became a harbour pilot with the
Port of Tauranga. He died on Christmas Day 2016, aged 92.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregson, John
1924 births
2016 deaths
Recipients of the Albert Medal (lifesaving)
British recipients of the George Cross
British Merchant Navy personnel of World War II
People from Tauranga
British people in colonial India
British emigrants to New Zealand
Survivors of seafaring accidents or incidents