Bill Eastman
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Brigadier William Marsden Eastman, GC (26 October 1911 – 8 April 1980)[1] was a British Army officer who was awarded the George Cross for bomb disposal work between June and November 1940 on the island of Malta.
Early life and career
Born in Brentford on 26 October 1911, Eastman was educated at Uppingham School and the University of Cambridge. His university studies were interrupted by his father's death, as he had to take over the family dyeing and dry-cleaning business.[2] His knowledge of chemicals learned through this career led to him being recommended for a commission in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps on volunteering shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. Having then attended the Inspecting Ordnance Officer's course at Bramley, he was embarked for Malta in March 1940.[3]
Bomb disposal work
Between June and November 1940 the island of Malta came under the combined attack from German and Italian airforces. As no Royal Engineer bomb disposal units had yet been formed, the job of attending to unexploded bombs and mines was handled by the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. A high number of unexploded bombs needed defusing and Eastman, along with Robert Jephson Jones rendered safe some 275 devices with rudimentary equipment.
George Cross citation
Notice of his award appeared in the London Gazette on Christmas Eve, 1940.[4]
Post-war career
After the war he commanded the RAOC Training Centre until his retirement in 1966, when he retired with his wife to Malta, where he died, and is buried in the Ta' Braxia Cemetery in Pietà.[5]
Sale of medals
Eastman's medals were sold at auction in 2008. They sold for a then world record amount of £49,450 and were acquired by Eastman's regimental museum.[6]
References
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- ↑ Michael Ashcroft, George Cross Heroes, 2010
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- ↑ DNW Auction Catalogue
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
- ↑ Famous People Buried at Ta' Braxia, Vigilo 28 (the magazine of the National Trust of Malta)Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
- ↑ [1] TimesofMalta.com, 30 March 2008
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Sources
- Pages with script errors
- Royal Army Ordnance Corps officers
- British recipients of the George Cross
- Bomb disposal personnel
- British Army personnel of World War II
- People educated at Uppingham School
- 1911 births
- 1980 deaths
- Military personnel from the London Borough of Hounslow
- British Army brigadiers
- People from Brentford