Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Gunner

Unit:

176 Battery, 66th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, British Army

Awarded on:

July 29th, 1949

"For heroism at FOGGIA, Italy, on 8th May 1944, when an American heavy bombardment type aircraft overshot the runway in an attempt to make a crash landing, Gunner Cruickshanks, completely disregarding flames which had begun to spread from a burning engine and the imminent danger of explosion, rushed to the aircraft and led two of the dazed crew members to safety, then returned to the plane for a third who was unable to escape without assistance returning again and dragged a fourth from the flames spreading across the wing of the aircraft. Gunner Cruickshanks then returned for the fourth time to the blazing wreckage and with the assistance of others managed to extricate the one member of the crew who was killed, from beneath the fuselage.

The action of Gunner Cruickshanks were considered definitely responsible for the lives of at least two of the air crew members. By his heroism, initiative, and intense devotion to duty, gunner Cruickshanks has reflected great credit upon himself, and the Armed Forces of the Allied Nation."