Medals awarded to a bomb removal hero called 'The Man Who Saved Charing Cross' after he bravely disarmed a parachute line with just one hammer and chisel during the Blitz could get £ 140,000 at an auction.
Acting Lieutenant-Commander Ernest 'Mick' Gidden spent six hours tackling the 1,000 pound device, which landed on Hungerford Bridge in April 1941 outside Charing Cross Station.
He could not apply a safety device, which means that it could have exploded at any time to explode and had killed hundreds near the busy station of Central London.
At a certain moment he heard the fuse begin to 'tap', but there was no chance to escape.
Historians have called the incident one of 'the great epics of the war'.
Fortunately Lieutenant Gidden made the mine safe and Got a prestigious George Cross for his 'Great Gallantry and fearless dedication to duty'.
The brave hero had previously received the George Medal after disarming a 750 pound mine that landed in a narrow alley between two houses in Harlesden, Noord -West -Londen, in September 1940.
It had to be dragged out of the ground and then lowered in a truck where Lieutenant Gidden and Seaman Lipsham Condel removed the electric detonator and primer.
Medals awarded to call the removal hero Ernest 'Mick' Gidden, Gidden, The Man Who Save Charing Cross' after he had disarmed a parachutine with only a hammer and chisel during the Blitz, could reach £ 140,000 at an auction. Above: The hero with his George Cross
He spent six hours tackling the 1,000 pound device (above), which landed on Hungerford Bridge in April 1941 outside Charing Cross Station
For his actions, Lieutenant Gidden became the first man to get both awards.
At the height of the Blitz, the bomb expert went into 25 mines in a year.
In 1943 he added Obe to his name after he had tackled a mine, deposited from Sealter, near Whitstable in Kent. The explosive was 30 ft lower and was exposed to passing shipping.
The removal of the lasted 68 hours with the help of a skip and crane, with lieutenant Gidden and leading sailor Pickett that remained at the bottom of the shaft to make it safe.
While they brought to light the first fuse, air started to escape and gave the impression that the clock had begun.
They had no chance to become clear, so they went to the fuse before the mine was driven to the surface.
Acting Lieutenant-Commander Gidden's Medal Group goes under the hammer in London, from Mayfair, with a presale estimate of £ 100,000 to £ 140,000.
Nimrod Dix, deputy chairman of Noonans and director of the medal division, said: “Gidden, who was born in Hampstead, was a master of mine removal operations and the first man who was awarded both the George Cross and the George Medal.
For his actions, Lieutenant Gidden became the first man to get both the George Cross and the George Medal. Upstairs praise on the right: George Cross; Obe; George Medal; 1939-45 Ster; France and Germany star; Defense and war medals 1939-45; Coronation 1953
A huge hole in the strand, where a bomb was dropped during an air raid on Central London
At the height of the Blitz, the bomb expert went into 25 mines in a year. Displayed: Damage after the German bombing at the Smithfields market in London
Bom damage on the cathedral of St. Paul as a result of German bombing in London during the Second World War
'His bravery in dealing with a parachute -on Hungerford Bridge, outside Charing Cross Station, in April 1941, was one of the great epic epics of the war.
'In an operation of six hours, in which he was unable to apply a safety device for much of that time, he had to resort to the use of a hammer and chisel.
'Only eight men have received the combination of the George Cross and George Medal.
“The addition of the OBE makes this a unique combination of prices.”
Gidden was born in Hampstead, North Londs, in 1910 and was a member of the emergency fire service before the Second World War broke out.
He joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and followed an emergency course in the removal of mine as a member of the Torpedo department and mines of Admiralty.
On April 17, 1941, he came into action when the Germans dropped a parachute on Hungerford Bridge.
The bomb attack ensured that trains, sleepers and the local hotel were on fire and all underground trains were stopped.
Gidden is committed to making bombs harmless, despite the imminent danger in which he was. Shown: Rescuers help find victims after a raid on Chelsea, West -London
Many local buildings, including the war office, were evacuated when Gidden approached the bridge just after the dawn.
His George Cross Citation reads: 'Lieutenant Gidden found the mine lying over a living electric wire at the foot of the main signal stepper, with the bombing and the first release mechanism directed downwards.
'The electrical current from the rail had melted part of the metal around the bombing and the primer delivery mechanism that if the fuse was removed at all, this could only be done by drilling.
'And, further, before an attempt could be made to arrest the functioning of the fuse by inserting a' gag ', a lump of melted metal had to be appreciated from the surface of the fuse itself.
'Before the operations of any kind could be started, the mine had to be turned to get to the bombing.
'Turning the mine was probably in itself to explode, with disastrous results for railway communication and important buildings.
'To be able to control the operation with accuracy, Lieutenant Gidden was only 50 meters from the mine, while the necessary attraction was exerted from a distance.
'In order to appreciate the danger of this case, it must be understood that the fuses are in these mine timepieces and are activated by the least vibration.
'Lieutenant Gidden had to prevent firefighter from playing water on the sleepers and trains while going to work, and the burning wood continued to give off loud cracks throughout the operations, causing his ability to listen to clocks in the wick, hinder in The lonunning, which is essential for safety.
'He successfully knew the surface of the fuse and added a' gag ', but melting had damaged the part in question, and the gag was not a safe fit, and he was aware of the fact.
'He then tried to remove the remains of the screw ring with screw (which holds the fuse in place) with a hammer and chisel.
'At the first blow, the timepiece began to walk in the fuse.
'Lieutenant Gidden, who had kept his head close to the fuse, heard the ticking and left as well as he could, but because it was necessary to jump from sleeper to sleeper, with a drop of ten feet underneath, there was little chance on escape.
'It happened the' gag ', and Lieutenant Gidden returned with an exercise.
“He managed to remove the ring, but then thought it was necessary to praise the fuse with a chisel.
“He did this successfully despite his dangerous situation.
'Normally wicks are removed from a distance for fear of an anti-hand-lying device.
'This operation took six hours to complete.
“It is believed that this case is in the highest category of courage and dedication to duty.”
He was presented in July 1942 with his George Cross by King George VI in Buckingham Palace.
Despite the improvement of Lieutenant-Commander, he carried out bomb removal operations in Great Britain and then knew Mijnen in the Scheldt channel in the Netherlands in November 1944.
His last role in wartime was HMS President at the reserve Establishment.
He returned post conflict to the family business Saddlery, W&H Gidden of Mayfair.
But he suddenly died at the age of 51 in 1961.
Lieutenant Gidden's medal group, sent from the extensive medal collection of the late Jason Pilalas, consists of the George Cross; The most excellent order of the British Empire, OBE (military); George Medal; 1939-45 Ster; France and Germany star; Defense and war medals 1939-45; Coronation 1953.
The sale will take place on March 11.
