Railway men from Bridlington honoured for bravery

Three blue plaques at Bridlington railway station

Two railway workers from Hull have been honoured with blue plaques for their bravery in World War Two.

Arthur Harrison and George Whitehurst fought to put out a fire after an air raid on 11 July 1940 in Bridlington.

A bomb hit the station yard, landing close to a train carriage full of ammunition and creating the potential for a far worse disaster.

However, there were no resulting explosions despite of the risks caused by the stored ammunition.

The bombs were part of an unexpected raid by a German bomb in which five people died and buildings were destroyed on nearby Hilderthorpe Road.

A spokesperson for Northern, which operates Bridlington station, said the railway workers ran to the scene, fought the blaze and thankfully extinguished it.

The company said that in doing so Mr Harrison and Mr Whitehurst saved the lives of many people in nearby buildings.

In 2023 a plaque honouring ticket collector Ernest Barker for his part in fighting the fire the was installed at the station.

Thanks to research by local historian Richard Jones the stories of Mr Harrison and Mr Whitehurst, who battled the blaze alongside him, also came to light.

All three were awarded the George Medal in recognition of their bravery.

Mr Jones said there had initially also been reports that a soldier had died in the raid.

But after extensive cross-checking of military records he said there was "no evidence" this was the case, adding "there was no record of any military death in Bridlington on that day".

Kerry Peters, regional director at Northern said: "We are so pleased to be able to pay tribute to these local heroes and the heritage of Bridlington station. A special thank you goes to historian Richard Jones for his tireless research... We are delighted to be a part of this community project."