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		Harrison, B.J., GC
	Barbara Jane Harrison was born on 24 May 1945 in Bradford, Yorkshire. Miss Harrison was a Stewardess with British Overseas Airways Corporation (now part of the modern British Airways company). On 8 April 1968, soon after take-off from Heathrow Airport in London, No. 2 engine of a BOAC Boeing 707 caught fire and fell from the aircraft, leaving a fierce fire burning at No. 2 engine position. About 2½ minutes later the aircraft made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport and the fire on the port wing intensified. Miss Harrison was a stewardess in the aircraft and one of her duties in an emergency was to help the steward at the aft (rear) station in opening up the escape route for the passengers at the rear of the aircraft. When they landed, Miss Harrison and the steward opened the rear gallery door and inflated the chute which became twisted on the way down so that the steward had to climb down to straighten it before it could be used. Once out of the aircraft he was unable to return; hence Miss Harrison was left alone to help the passengers out of the aircraft. She encouraged some to jump from the machine and pushed out others. With flames and explosions all around her, escape from the tail of the plane became impossible and she directed her passengers to another exit while she remained at her post. She was finally overcome while trying to save an elderly cripple who was seated in one of the last rows and whose body was found close to that of the Miss Harrison. Miss Harrison has a memorial at Fulford Cemetery, York. The award of Miss Harrison's George Cross was published in the London Gazette on 8 August 1968 Incidentally, Barabara Jane is the only woman to be directly awarded this prestigious medal since its inception in 1940, except for three others who served with SOE in France during World War II. Please follow links for to learn more about these heroic souls.

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