On the morning of Saturday, October 24th, 1908, Charles David Griffin, a young labourer of Weathercock Lane, Woburn Sands, and five other men were helping to remove the ballast earth that was heaped over one of the brick kilns at Eastwoods Brickworks, by the station in Woburn Sands. This earth was piled up on top of the kiln helped to insulate it whilst firing the bricks. It needed to be removed so that the kiln could be repaired.

That particular kiln had been used the day before and was still extremely hot although empty. Without warning, part of the roof of the kiln collapsed, and Griffin fell through the hole, along with his wheelbarrow and tools. The remaining scorching hot earth on the roof dropped in on top of him. Griffin was buried up to his waist in the debris. His shouts for help were heard by George Henry Smith, another labourer in the brickyard, who went immediately to his aid.

Woburn Sands various brickworks - a thriving industry at the turn of the 19th century.

He entered the kiln by the 20ft tunnel entrance (known as a 'wicket'), but found the inner-end blocked by Griffin's wheel-barrow. He dug his way past this, and spent some 20 minutes digging the debris from around the trapped man, all the time in danger of another collapse, in the heat and dust and poisonous fumes. Some contemporary reports say he then put the injured man on his own back and carried him out, while others say a rope was fastened around Griffins armpits and those still on top of the kiln pulled him out. Either way, he was taken straight to Dr. Brander's surgery at Woodfield House, with terrible burns to his body and overcome by the fumes. He was then transferred to Woburn Cottage Hospital to be treated.

Unfortunately, Griffin died two weeks later of his injuries, and was buried in an unmarked grave at St Michaels, Aspley Heath on November 10th, not far inside the gate, on the left. He was 28 years old. His mother and sisters attended, along with friends and colleagues, and Mr. and Mrs. Mason who represented Eastwoods brickyards. Many floral tributes were also sent.

However, George Smiths heroism in rescuing Griffin was well recognised, and a collection was organised, with many subscriptions sent in. His own hands and feet had been burned in the rescue. On February 27th, 1909, Smith went to Marlborough House to be presented to The Prince Of Wales by representatives of The Royal Humane Society, to receive their gold medal, known as “The Stanhope Medal”. The Prince was the president of the Society. It had already been decided that Smith be honoured with the silver medal from the Society, and one recipient was chosen each year to also receive the gold medal. Admiral Sir George Digby Morent (deputy chairman of the RHS) described how there had been five silver medals awarded for 1908, but the committee had unanimously decided that the Stanhope Medal should go to Smith.

	This Gold Medal was accompanied by a £5 gift. The Prince of Wales told Smith he was "exceedingly pleased to meet such a brave man, and hoped he would live long to wear his medals and feel proud of an act of bravery which was of no ordinary character." Sir William Bull M.P. thanked the Prince on behalf of the Society.
The brickworkers at the knotts in Eastwoods yard. From "Wavendon as it Was".

...but this was not the end of the recognition of Smith's act of bravery. On 22nd July, 1909, Smith went to Buckingham Palace to be awarded 'The Albert Medal' 2nd Class, by King Edward VII. This is a bronze medal with crimson enameling, and is one of the top civilian awards for gallantry in saving, or attempting to save, life this country offers. Thus Smith became one of only 290 bronze Albert Medal holders, for life-saving acts on land. The medal was later discontinued, replaced by the George Cross. He is one of only four people to attain both the Stanhope Medal and the Albert Medal, and the only one whose heroic deed was on land, as opposed to at sea. Charles David Griffin was born in 1880 to David and Annie, who had married in Woburn Sands in 1878. David was an agricultural labourer and Annie was listed as a hat sewer. He was the second of five children, and was living in Aspley Hill at the time of the 1891 Census.

According to the information that was with the medals, this is Smith, which is cropped from the photo above.

George Henry Smith was born in 1886, in Farcet, just south of Peterborough. By 1901, his parents had moved to Woburn Sands, and were living at The Leys Farm, where his father was the farm foreman. George was their oldest surviving son, and had already started work as a brickyard labourer by the age of 15. There were also brickyards operated at Farcet.

The information about the accident and award of medals comes from many sources; The Times, The London Gazette, The Beds Times, The Bucks Standard, The Wolverton Express and The North Bucks Times and County Observer. One single paper did not follow the story through all the way. This was probably done by the Woburn Reporter, but the editions from those years have not survived.

A previous owner of the medals had difficulty in finding out who owned the medals before him, although they came with a copy of the citation, which had been requested in 1973. There is also a picture, supposedly of Smith, which is part of a larger picture of all the Eastwoods employees, which has been published in the book “Wavendon As It Was”. The names of several of these men are recorded in that book, but Smith is not amongst them.

The medals were sold at an auction sale at Dix Noonan Webb in London on April 5th, 2006. They made £4600. If the new owner is reading this, I would very much like to get in contact and possibly take some better pictures!