William Radenhurst Mosedale GC (28 March 1894 – 27 March 1971) was awarded the George Cross for the heroism he displayed on 12 December 1940, while working as a

fireman A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

during the

Birmingham Blitz The Birmingham Blitz was the heavy bombing by the Nazi German '' Luftwaffe'' of the city of Birmingham and surrounding towns in central England, beginning on 9 August 1940 as a fraction of the greater Blitz , which was part of the Battle of Br ...

Early life

Mosedale was born in 1894, in

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

(then in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

, now in the

West Midlands county West Midlands is a metropolitan county in the West Midlands Region, England, with a 2021 population of 2,919,600, making it the second most populous county in England after Greater London. It was created in 1974 by the Local Government Act ...

), England. He attended Sherbourne Road Board School in nearby

Balsall Heath Balsall Heath is an inner-city area of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It has a diverse cultural mix of people and is the location of the Balti Triangle. History Balsall Heath was agricultural land between Moseley village and the city of ...

from the ages of three to thirteen. He then started work as a tinsmith and carriage lamp maker. In 1910 Mosedale lied about his age so that he could join the 5th Royal Irish Lancers. He was promoted to the rank of corporal within three years but was forced to leave the army on the death of his mother so that he could look after his siblings. In 1914 Mosedale took up a job with the

City of Birmingham Fire Brigade The City of Birmingham Fire Brigade was founded in 1875. In 1895 a new chief officer was appointed, Alfred Robert Tozer (senior). He died in 1906 when he was followed into position by his son Alfred Robert Tozer (junior) who continued in the positi ...

Citation

On the night of the 11 December 1940, during the

, Mosedale received a report that a house and auxiliary fire station had been hit by a high explosive bomb. On arriving at the scene he found that both had been completely demolished. Knowing that there may be people trapped inside, he tunnelled for twelve hours to reach them. The tunnel was in constant danger of collapse and the air raid continued during the night hours of the rescue operation. Mosedale eventually rescued twelve trapped people, personally saving their lives with complete disregard for his own safety. Mosedale was awarded the George Cross for his bravery. His award was announced in the London Gazette on 28 March 1941. The citation read:

Legacy

Mosedale died on 27 March 1971. In 2008 he was commemorated by the naming of a street, Mosedale Way, in his memory. The street is in the Central Park development off Lee Bank Middleway in

Ladywood Ladywood is an inner-city district next to central Birmingham. Historically in Warwickshire, in June 2004, Birmingham City Council conducted a citywide "Ward Boundary Revision" to round-up the thirty-nine Birmingham wards to forty. As a result o ...

, Birmingham. His nephew Kenneth Mosedale opened the road on 29 July 2008 in the company of other relatives, firefighters, and civic dignitaries. His medal is now displayed at

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BM&AG) is a museum and art gallery in Birmingham, England. It has a collection of international importance covering fine art, ceramics, metalwork, jewellery, natural history, archaeology, ethnography, local ...

.BMAG display label

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mosedale, William Radenhurst British recipients of the George Cross British firefighters 1894 births 1971 deaths People from Birmingham, West Midlands 5th Royal Irish Lancers soldiers

Early life

Citation

Legacy

Further reading

References