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Eric Moxey

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Eric Lawrence Moxey

GC
Born(1894-04-14)14 April 1894
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Died27 August 1940(1940-08-27) (aged 46)
Biggin Hill, Kent
Buried
St. Peter & St. Paul, Cudham, Orpington, Kent,
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch Royal Air Force
RankSquadron Leader
Service number73498
Battles / warsWorld War II
Awards George Cross

Squadron Leader Eric Lawrence Moxey GC (14 April 1894 – 27 August 1940) was a member of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who was posthumously awarded the George Cross for attempting to defuse enemy bombs on an airfield in 1940.[1]

Biography and Personal Life

Eric Lawrence Moxey during WW1

Moxey was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil to English parents, William Hall Moxey, Director of the Sao Paulo Railway Company and Margaret Moxey. He was educated in England, at Malvern School and Sheffield University, whilst working at Vickers Limited in the city.

He was a keen motorcyclist and achieved some successes at Brooklands and the Isle of Man TT[2] where he won a gold medal as a top placed amateur [3] At the outbreak of World War I, in 1914 he entered the York and Lancaster Regiment to serve in the infantry until 1917 where he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps with the rank of Captain.

In 1916 he married May Arthur Clark, daughter of William Clark, then managing director of Vickers.

In 1919 he returned to Sheffield to act as Sales Director for Vickers where he remained until 1926 when he became Managing Director of the New Conveyor Company in Smethwick.[4] In 1935 he formed the Moxey Conveyor Company which later became Babcock Moxey which in turn was purchased by Claudius Peters, one of the Langley Holdings companies.

He and May had 4 children -

  • Douglas Erskine Moxey - (1918-1984) Served in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserves on-board HMS Ark Royal during the Battle of Spartivento, HMS Eagle and HMS Emperor. Douglas later took over the running of Babcock Moxey when Eric was killed.
  • Nigel Hall Moxey - (1921-1942) Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserves he was shot down and killed in Cairo in August 1942, forming part of the build-up to the Battle of Alam el Halfa. He is buried in Heliopolis in Plot 2F15[5]
  • Jonathan Kirkwood Moxey - (1924-1985) Jack, as he was known, served as Navigator on Motor Launch 269 during the D-Day invasion on North France, having been seconded from his role as an Observer in the Fleet Air Arm. He later worked for a number of engineering firms before retiring to Alderney in 1972 with ill health
  • William Moxey - (1924-2011)

World War II and Death

After the outbreak of war Moxey was volunteered and was posted to the RAF Intelligence as part of the "Special Duties" team

Road sign for Eric Lawrence Moxey, killed at Biggin Hill in 1940

where he was tasked with bomb disposal and became a pioneer in the investigation of enemy bombs and armaments. He invented the "Fuze Extractor", the original safe defusing device for German bombs [6]

After a Luftwaffe raid on the aerodrome at Biggin Hill on 27 August 1940, Moxey, then an Acting Squadron Leader, was called to remove the unexploded bombs which had buried themselves into an runway. He successfully dealt with one bomb, opening the runway up to RAF fighter pilots to defend the capital. However, when he attempted to clear the second, it exploded, killing him instantly.

It was for this act he was awarded the George Cross, becoming the first person in World War II to be awarded the medal and has since been honoured with a road named after him on a housing development beside Biggin Hill Aerodrome [7]

George Cross citation

His citation, which appeared in the London Gazette of 17 December 1940[8] -

The King has been graciously pleased to approve of the posthumous award of the George Cross to :—

Acting Squadron Leader Eric Lawrence Moxey (73498), Royal Air Force Volunteer reserve. On the 27th August, 1940, it was reported that two unexploded bombs were embedded in an aerodrome. Squadron Leader Moxey, a technical intelligence officer employed at the Air Ministry, immediately volunteered to proceed to the site and remove them, though from the nature of his duties he was very fully aware of the risk entailed in such an operation. One of the bombs exploded causing his death. On many occasions Squadron Leader Moxey has exhibited similar complete disregard for his personal safety.

— London Gazette

References

  1. ^ WW2 Awards - Moxey, Eric Laurence
  2. ^ "E L Moxey - Competitors - Isle of Man TT Official Website". www.iomtt.com. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  3. ^ Eric Lawrence Moxey (1894–1940) at Find a Grave. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  4. ^ "New Conveyor Co". www.gracesguide.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  5. ^ "Pilot Officer ( Pilot ) Nigel Hall Moxey ( - 1942) - Find A Grave Memorial". Find a Grave. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  6. ^ "THE WORK OF RAF BOMB DISPOSAL SQUADS IN THE UK AND GERMANY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Moxey". www.bigginhill-history.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  8. ^ London gazette 17 December 1940

Further reading

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