Robert Selby Armitage, GC, GM (28 March 1905 – 26 May 1982), sometimes known as Robert Selby,[1] won both the George Cross and George Medal for his bomb disposal work during the Second World War,[2] one of only eight people to have been awarded both.
He defused unexploded bombs during the blitz in 1940, notably a mine that fell on Orpington in Kent.
The mine had come to rest in a tree and he climbed a ladder to defuse it, offering no chance of escape if the fuse had been triggered.
His George Cross was gazetted in the London Gazette on 27 December 1940, and he was invested on 24 May 1941 at the medal's first investiture ceremony.
[7] His George Medal, gazetted on 15 February 1944, was for mine disposal work at Corton Sands, Suffolk on 15 June 1942 while serving in HMS Vernon.