John Hannah

Fought flames in a stricken bomber to save it and its pilot.

John Hannah was born in Paisley, Scotland, on 27 November 1921. Educated at Bankhead and Victoria Drive schools in Glasgow, he worked as a shoe salesman before enlisting in the Royal Air Force on 15 August 1939, aged seventeen. He trained in wireless operation at Yatesbury, air gunnery at West Freugh and operational flying at Upper Heyford. Promoted to sergeant in May 1940, he served briefly with No. 106 Squadron before joining No. 83 Squadron at RAF Scampton in August. Both units operated Handley Page Hampden bombers.

On the night of 15 September 1940, Hannah was the wireless operator and air gunner in a Hampden attacking invasion barges at Antwerp. After anti-aircraft fire set the aircraft ablaze, he stayed aboard and extinguished the fire, enabling Pilot Officer C. A. Connor to bring it home. Hannah suffered severe burns and received treatment at Rauceby Hospital. His Victoria Cross was announced on 1 October, and King George VI presented it at Buckingham Palace on 10 October. At eighteen, he was the youngest recipient of the Victoria Cross for aerial operations.

Hannah did not return to operational flying. In November 1940 he became an instructor at No. 14 Operational Training Unit, Cottesmore, and in 1941 moved to instructional duties at No. 4 Signals School, Yatesbury. He was promoted to flight sergeant during 1941. That year he married Janet Beaver; they subsequently had three daughters.

Tuberculosis and deteriorating health brought his RAF service to an end in December 1942, with a full disability pension. He tried working as a taxi driver, but continuing illness prevented him from sustaining the work. He also made public and stage appearances, seeking income while receiving treatment. Living with his family in Birstall, Leicestershire, he struggled with worsening illness and entered Markfield Sanatorium in 1947. He died there on 7 June 1947, aged twenty-five, and was buried in the churchyard of St James the Great, Birstall.

Official Victoria Cross citation The London Gazette, 1 October 1940, issue 34958, pages 5788–5789.

Air Ministry, 1st October, 1940. ROYAL AIR FORCE.

The KING has been graciously pleased to confer the Victoria Cross on the undermentioned airman, in recognition of most conspicuous bravery:

652918 Sergeant John HANNAH.

On the night of 15th September, 1940, Sergeant Hannah was the wireless operator/air gunner in an aircraft engaged in a successful attack on enemy barge concentrations at Antwerp. It was then subjected to intense anti-aircraft fire and received a direct hit from a projectile of an explosive and incendiary nature, which apparently burst inside the bomb compartment. A fire started which quickly enveloped the wireless operator's and rear gunner's cockpits, and as both the port and starboard petrol tanks had been pierced, there was grave risk of the fire spreading. Sergeant Hannah forced his way through the fire to obtain two extinguishers and discovered that the rear gunner had had to leave the aircraft. He could have acted likewise, through the bottom escape hatch or forward through the navigator's hatch, but remained and fought the fire for ten minutes with the extinguishers, beating the flames with his log book when these were empty. During this time thousands of rounds of ammunition exploded in all directions and he was almost blinded by the intense heat and fumes, but had the presence of mind to obtain relief by turning on his oxygen supply. Air admitted through the large holes caused by the projectile made the bomb compartment an inferno and all the aluminium sheet metal on the floor of this airman's cockpit was melted away, leaving only the cross bearers. Working under these conditions, which caused burns to his face and eyes, Sergeant Hannah succeeded in extinguishing the fire. He then crawled forward, ascertained that the navigator had left the aircraft, and passed the latter's log and maps to the pilot.

This airman displayed courage, coolness and devotion to duty of the highest order and, by his action in remaining and successfully extinguishing the fire under conditions of the greatest danger and difficulty, enabled the pilot to bring the aircraft safely to its base.