Auxiliary Fireman John Lyn Davies, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Davies, Myddfai House, Wind Street, Ammanford, has been awarded the George Medal.
Lyn, who left Ammanford in 1927, became a member of the London Fire Auxiliary Service at the outbreak of war. He got his medal for bravery displayed be him one night during a Blitz on London when he was off duty.
After a heavy bomb had exploded in his street, seriously damaging a number of houses, he left his wife and two children in the air-raid shelter, and rushing out, not troubling about the fact that his own house had the roof off and all windows broken, mad for a fire about 100 yards away.
As he ran down the street a girl called to him, “Please get my mum and dad out.” Dashing into the wreckage of the partly demolished house, Lyn managed to reach the trapped husband and wife and got them clear.
He had only just done so when he heard shouts from the other side of the road, where a house had collapsed. Crawling under the debris, he forced his way to where he could see a father, mother and three-year-old boy lying on beds, unable to move.
He hacked away with his fireman's axe and fought with bare hands to clear the debris sufficiently to make a tunnel through which he could crawl. After working for an hour, and later with the help of wardens, he got to the trapped family and pulled them out into the open air.
He helped to free three more people, and then went through the whole street, checking up the whereabouts of all the residents in case any might be still beneath the wrecked buildings.
When Mrs. Churchill, the Premier's wife, visited the district a few days later, Lyn was introduced to her and personally thanked him for his courage.
