One for all and all for one

Family history or genealogy to give the subject it's correct name is a truly fascinating. No matter who you are, where you come from, your social class or education we all have family histories and were all descended from those whom came before us. It could there be universally interesting to each and every one of us.

When you commence your research you never know what exciting stories you might encounter or where in the world it might take you. Some families are famous while others might be hard working farmers and some might be high flying business people while others may be brave military men and woman. Each new family member added to your family is a new story to tell.

While researching my own family I came across the actions of my great grandfather, Thomas Lane BEM, during the bombing of Plymouth during the Second World War.

I had never met my great grandfather and he was never spoken about by my great grandmother who I had the honour to know for the first ten or so years of my life - I called her "gran". When sadly she died at the grand age of 99 her head stone listed her as the wife of Thomas Lane BEM. This is all I new about him until late 2013 when my research project took me down this branch of the family tree.

It turns out that my great grandfather was awarded his British Empire Medal (BEM) for an act of true bravery during one of the many bombings of Plymouth and her all too important Royal Navy base. The German bombers were dropping incendiary devices on the city trying to cause as much damage as was humanly possible. One such device landed close to where my great grandfather was standing and he jumped onto the device in the hope of saving the lives of others in the surrounding area. We don't know if he considered the act brave or simple a gut reaction to a situation outside of his control and to be honest it does not matter as the outcome was to be the same - he lived to tell the tale as the device failed to explode. It was for this action the he was awarded the British Empire Medal.

When one thinks back to that event and how it could have ended very differently I am reminded of that famous saying "one for all and all for one". One man truly can have a huge difference to this world and all to often these events go unnoticed. Happily he was not.

After years of not being awarded I was very happy to read that once again the British Empire Medal is to be awarded!