Ernest Oliver GIDDEN
- Grave/memorial: L062
Born: 1910 Died: 1961 Grave / memorial: L 062
OBE, GC, GM. Wartime naval officer/ bomb disposal specialist. ‘Our darling Mick’, won his George Cross for defusing a parachute mine on Hungerford Bridge in 1942. His obituary in The Times noted that, when he arrived on the scene, trains and sleepers at Charing Cross were alight, as was the hotel. Many local buildings, including the War Office, had been evacuated. After 6 hours’ work Gidden prised out the fuse with a chisel – the mine being welded to the live rail. For this he was awarded the George Cross, having previously won the George Medal for defusing a mine in Harlesden. Born in Adelaide Road, he was educated at UCS and later lived at 21 Elsworthy Road.
Reference: Buried in Hampstead, Camden History Society 1986
Additional research by the 2012 project team