George Medal: Petty Officer John Thomas Humphries, HMAS Kanimbla

George Medal (Geo VI). Engraved around edge with recipient's details.

6699 Petty Officer John Thomas 'Jack' Humphries was born at Sebastopol, Victoria, in 1903 and enlisted in the RAN in July 1918 as a boy seaman. After initial training in HMAS Tingira he served in HMA ships Australia, Geranium, Melbourne, Anzac and Sydney before joining the Royal Australian Fleet Reserve in July 1938. He was recalled to full time service on the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 and was posted to the requisitioned armed merchant cruiser HMS (later HMAS) Kanimbla, which was crewed largely by Australian reserve seaman. Although not trained as a diver, Humphries, by now a Petty Officer, volunteered for service in this capacity while the Kanimbla was serving in the Persian Gulf in 1941 and received the George Medal for his work. The citation reads: 'For skill and undaunted devotion to duty in hazardous diving operations whilst serving in HMAS Kanimbla. During salvage operations on the prize ship Hohenfels at Bandar Shapur, Persian Gulf,[in August 1941] Petty Officer Humphries was employed as a diver. On twelve occasions he descended into the flooded engine room to shut bilge suction valves. The descent was down three long ladders to the level of the starting platform, thence forward the length of the engine room and then down two short ladders to the tunnels under the bunker. The length of air pipe and short rope required was at least 120 feet. Diving under such conditions there was a very grave risk indeed of the air pipe being fouled. There was no telephone to the diver and as soon as he had descended the first long ladder he was out of communication with his attendants. If anything should go wrong there was no hope of survival. Petty Officer Humphries succeeded in his task which called for skill and courage of the highest degree.' As a result of this incident he was immediately granted the non-substantive rating of Diver 1st Class. In December 1942 Humphries returned to Australia and spent the rest of the war serving in the Brisbane shore establishment HMAS Moreton. He was discharged in May 1946.

• 1939-45 Star : Petty Officer J T Humphries, HMAS Kanimbla
• Africa Star : Petty Officer J T Humphries, HMAS Kanimbla
• Pacific Star with 'Burma' clasp : Petty Officer J T Humphries, HMAS Kanimbla
• British War Medal 1939-45 : Petty Officer J T Humphries, HMAS Kanimbla
• Australia Service Medal : Petty Officer J T Humphries, HMAS Kanimbla