- SURNAME
Qualtrough
- FORENAME
Henry Percival
- UNIT
Bomb Disposal Squad No. 1
- RANK
Major
- NUMBER
304206
- AWARD
Member of the Order of the British Empire, George Medal
- PLACE
Kowloon, Hong Kong 1959 (MBE) Penang Island, Island of Betio (GM)
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
from Horsham, Sussex
born 6.6.1924 Castletown, Isle of Man
attended King William's College, Castletown
attended Queen's University, Belfast
enlisted R.E. 1942
bomb disposal
served in Normandy 1944
retired from Army to Castletown
MBE awarded 1960, GM 1967
engineer and building inspector, Castletown Commissioners
married Elizabeth Mary Audrey Peacock 1948 (3 children) (dissolved) (died 1993)
married Anne Cringle 1974 (2 stepchildren)
died 8.3.2012 Castletown, Isle of Man
London Gazette 42148, 20th September 1960, Page 6417 (MBE)
London Gazette 44223, 6th January 1967, Page 305 (GM)
- OBITUARY
CITATION:
Member of the Order of the British Empire : Between October 1959 and March 1960 Major QUALTROUGH took personal charge of the dangerous stages in the work of disposing of three unexploded bombs. The impact nose fuze of one being distorted and immovable he took the bomb in a truck to the docks and embarked it in a landing craft and dumped it at sea. A second bomb was found to have, in addition to its nose fuze, what appeared to be a chemical delay fuze in its tail. Major QUALTROUGH removed this fuze by remote means. He personally supervised the removal of nose and tail fuzes from the third bomb.
The bombs were identified as being of American type, dropped in 1944 or 1945. They did not, however, conform exactly to the data available in instructional manuals, and the presence of Chinese markings on one fuze indicated the possibility of unrecorded variations in design. The age of the bombs and the lack of reliable information intensified the element of hazard always present in this type of operation. Major QUALTROUGH, by his confident handling of each incident and his gallant disregard for his own safety, gave great encouragement to those who assisted him in this dangerous work.
George Medal : Major Qualtrough and Sergeant Cooke undertook a reconnaissance of the notorious Japanese bomb and sea mine dumps on Penang Island after which they cleared about one hundred tons of bombs and shells from Japanese bunkers on the Island of Betio in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Their drive and complete disregard of personal safety were the two factors which led to the completion of these two difficult tasks in the short time available. On Penang Island they located tunnels and covered trenches at nine major sites and excavated and removed for
analysis samples of bombs and mines from each site. The dangers included the possibility of the formation of most dangerous unstable picrate crystals from picric fillings, the presence of corroded and unsafe fuzes and the likelihood of very dangerous copper azide formed from the lead azide in detonators. Well knowing the risks involved they entered a tunnel which had partially collapsed and was in imminent danger of further roof falls and removed 60 kg Japanese bombs which in addition to damage by roof falls had been subject to years of corrosion. On Betio Island about forty Japanese bunkers were excavated and cleared. These bunkers had been sealed by dozing during a previous clearance shortly after the war, but remained a serious danger to the inhabitants of this highly populated island. Their clearance and the detector search and clearance of the whole
island including a coral causeway produced about one hundred tons of Japanese and American bombs and shells many of which were fuzed or in a state of critical decomposition. At all times during these hazardous tasks Major Qualtrough and, Sergeant Cooke displayed the highest standard of courage and skill.
The bombs were identified as being of American type, dropped in 1944 or 1945. They did not, however, conform exactly to the data available in instructional manuals, and the presence of Chinese markings on one fuze indicated the possibility of unrecorded variations in design. The age of the bombs and the lack of reliable information intensified the element of hazard always present in this type of operation. Major QUALTROUGH, by his confident handling of each incident and his gallant disregard for his own safety, gave great encouragement to those who assisted him in this dangerous work.
George Medal : Major Qualtrough and Sergeant Cooke undertook a reconnaissance of the notorious Japanese bomb and sea mine dumps on Penang Island after which they cleared about one hundred tons of bombs and shells from Japanese bunkers on the Island of Betio in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Their drive and complete disregard of personal safety were the two factors which led to the completion of these two difficult tasks in the short time available. On Penang Island they located tunnels and covered trenches at nine major sites and excavated and removed for
analysis samples of bombs and mines from each site. The dangers included the possibility of the formation of most dangerous unstable picrate crystals from picric fillings, the presence of corroded and unsafe fuzes and the likelihood of very dangerous copper azide formed from the lead azide in detonators. Well knowing the risks involved they entered a tunnel which had partially collapsed and was in imminent danger of further roof falls and removed 60 kg Japanese bombs which in addition to damage by roof falls had been subject to years of corrosion. On Betio Island about forty Japanese bunkers were excavated and cleared. These bunkers had been sealed by dozing during a previous clearance shortly after the war, but remained a serious danger to the inhabitants of this highly populated island. Their clearance and the detector search and clearance of the whole
island including a coral causeway produced about one hundred tons of Japanese and American bombs and shells many of which were fuzed or in a state of critical decomposition. At all times during these hazardous tasks Major Qualtrough and, Sergeant Cooke displayed the highest standard of courage and skill.
WEB LINKS:
• https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/42148/page/6417 (MBE)• https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/44223/supplement/305 (GM)
NATIONAL ARCHIVES:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7621243 (MBE)https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7637022 (GM)
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