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Foster, Ronald Charles

Date of birth:
February 11th, 1914 (Suffolk, Great Britain)
Date of death:
July 21st, 2011 (Suffolk, Great Britain)
Service number:
4806722
Nationality:
British (1801-present, Kingdom)

Biography

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Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Private
Unit:
The Lincolnshire Regiment
Awarded on:
October 21st, 1941
Citation:
"Shorly after 11.15am on the 3rd July, 1941, an aircraft from the Royal Air Force Station, Scrampton, crashed on the Lincoln-Burton Road near South Carlton, bursting into flames immediately after striking the ground.

Privates Foster and Perry, who were motoring along the main road at the time, immediately left their car and went to the burning wreckage and lifted the pilot out of the cockpit and dragged him clear of the flames, thereby saving his life. They then attempted to extricate the Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, who was trapped in the wreckage, but by this time the oxygen bottles and ammunition were bursting all round them and the heat of the flames prevented them from reaching him and he was unfortunately burned to death.

There is no doubt that by their cool courage and complete disregard for their own personal safety, Privates Foster and Perry were responsible for saving the life of the pilot from a burning aircraft, the petrol tanks of which were likely to explode at any moment."

WO 373/66/1428
British Empire Medal (BEM & EGM)

Sources

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