Jonathan Rogers, (16 September 1920 – 10 February 1964) was a Welsh-born sailor and an Australian recipient of the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has be ...

, awarded for the heroism he displayed on the night of 10 February 1964 during the sinking of .

Early life

Rogers was born in

Llangollen Llangollen () is a town and community, situated on the River Dee, in Denbighshire, Wales. Its riverside location forms the edge of the Berwyn range, and the Dee Valley section of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Bea ...

, Wales, joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

at the age of 18 and was awarded the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

for the "coolness and leadership" he showed while serving as coxswain of Motor Torpedo Boat 698 in action in May 1944. 'Buck' emigrated to Australia after the war and joined the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

, serving in the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

George Cross

He was serving aboard the destroyer when, during exercises, it was struck and sliced in half by the aircraft carrier . Rogers, along with more than 50 other men, was trapped in the sinking forward part of the stricken destroyer. Making no attempt to save himself, he helped as many men as possible escape through a small escape hatch and, as the compartment sank ten minutes later, was heard leading his trapped comrades in a prayer and hymn as they met their fate, as his citation said, with 'dignity and honour'.

Honours and awards

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Jonathan 1920 births 1964 deaths People from Llangollen Australian recipients of the George Cross Australian military personnel of the Korean War Deaths due to shipwreck at sea Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United Kingdom) Royal Navy sailors Royal Australian Navy personnel Royal Navy personnel of World War II British emigrants to Australia Military personnel from Denbighshire