Harry Bomber Black Country hero of the Imjin River
THE supporting role of the Centurion Mark III tanks of the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hus- sars at the Battle of the Imjin River in Korea in late April 1951 has gone down in military history as a crucial factor in the outcome.
The positions being held by British troops stretched for twelve miles. Brigadier Brodie, the commander of the British 29th Brigade, calculated on infantry holding crucial high points, the areas in between being controlled by artillery, mortars and the Centurion tanks.
The tanks began to move up carrying infantry and ‘pushed steadily north through hills flecked with cherry blossom and purple heather.’ Ordered to defend their positions with limited infantry support the tanks blunted the attacks by the massed – some claimed drugged – hordes of Chinese ‘volunteer’ forces and North Korean infantry that began to cross the Imjin River on 22 April, nearly 70 years ago.
Tank commander Richard Napier, in his book From Horses to Chieftains recalls: “After about three hours of continuous firing, my machine gun barrels needed changing; my recoil system was so hot that it wouldn’t run back and my loader/operator Ken Hall, had fainted with the continual hard work and fumes.”
Napier adds that as he was unable to use his weapons, he withdrew, allowing British infantrymen to hitch a ride on his tank. The Chinese had infiltrated behind their positions and were swarming around them, shooting at the infantrymen on the tank. The tank crew resorted to lobbing grenades out of the hatches at the mass of Chinese infantry.
Blood
On their return to the British Lines these tanks were said to have “run red with the blood of dead Chinese,” with one rescued Northumberland Fusilier stating “All I could hear was those people screaming, being crushed by the tanks as they went through them. Quite a horrible experience. It was a mess, just a mess. The sides of the tanks were covered in blood. All the tracks were full of limbs…”
In their final action of the battle, the Centurions fired enormous quantities of ammunition in a rearguard action to safeguard the Royal Ulster Rifles’ withdrawal. During one engagement, a single pair of Centurions held back a force of more than 2,000 Chinese infantry.
According to the official history of the 8th Hussars, throughout the 24-25th of April the ‘tanks were in perpetual demand, invoked like guardian angels, at every point of threat and crisis.’ On one occasion, their Centurion tanks were swamped by Chinese soldiers who were attempting to prise open the hatches to throw grenades inside. The response of the Irish Hussars tanks commanded by Captain Gavin Murray and Captain Peter Ormrod was to turn their turrets towards each other, and “hose” the enemy off with their Besa machine-guns.
Veteran
Trooper Harry Lionel Bomber was born in Smethwick, Staffordshire. He was in the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars and a World War II veteran (including being in No.5 Commando). In October 1945 he had completed the six years he had signed up for and he was put on the ‘Reserve’ list after his discharge from the army in May 1946.
His Military Conduct record was ‘Exemplary’ and his testimonial reads: ‘This man is a regular soldier who has served since June 1939 during which time he has given loyal service. He is a reliable hard worker, conscientious and efficient, a Trade Tested Vehicle Mechanic and a good Driver. He is honest, sober and trustworthy. Highly recommended for employment in civilian life.’ Bomber spent most of the next four years working and training as a publican in Birmingham. Recalled to the Colours, Bomber ended up training in Centurion Mk IIIS and ended up in Korea, and awarded the Military Medal for his actions at Imjin.
In her home in Hopdale Road, Quinton, a few weeks prior to his return to the Midlands, his wife Betty Bomber
had sat listening on the radio to the story of the Gloucester Regiment’s stand at the Imjin River. She had also heard of an unnamed man who had driven his tank through a house, and had subsequently heard that the man driving the tank was her husband – and that his exploit had resulted in him being awarded the Military Medal.
Ignored
Bomber had not heard Captain Murray’s order to abandon his tank when it was hit by enemy fire – either he deliberately ignored the order, or he switched off the intercom to listen to the sounds of the gearbox and engine. He battled with the controls and got it going again by skilfully reversing the tank to get the track
back onto the wheels, a complex manoeuvre at the best of times, yet on your own during a battle. Then he opened the driver’s hatch to look for the crew, and saw a Chinese soldier on top, grenade in hand.
His citation explains that Bomber “Quickly closing his hatch advanced at full speed and charged a house where he had seen more enemy, in an endeavour to throw this Chinaman off. Then, continuing down the road at full speed, he attempted to run down other enemy who obstructed his progress until he caught up with a party of our own infantry.” It is probable the crew had left the escape hatches open, making the tank vulnerable to enemy hand grenades.
The citation also includes a hand-written comment by Brigadier Brodie, commanding
officer of the 29th Brigade, which states: “Strongly Recommended. A First-class Display.”
Bomber saved the Centurion tank, which was fitted with a top-secret gunsight and automatic main gun stabiliser, the turret castings for the tank were manufactured at F.H. Lloyd in Wednesbury. The Royal Armoured Corps emphasised that a Centurion should not fall into enemy hands intact. Bomber left the army in December 1951, and passed away in Birmingham in late 1980. His medal group sold at auction in July 2020 for £13,000.
Bomber’s tank was commanded by Captain Gavin Stuart Murray, from Farriers, Havshott, near Midhurst, Sussex. He was one of the 8th Hussars’ most senior commanders (attached from the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards), and he spent most of the three days in April leading from the front. He was awarded a Military Cross for his actions during the first and the last days of the battle, and Bomber was present with him throughout (except when he attempted to get the tank’s track back on).
Surrounded
On the first full day (23 April, 1951) Murray was ordered to push up Route 11 towards the Imjin River and extricate ‘Y’ Company, Northumberland Fusiliers, which had been surrounded. A perilous mission which Murray and Bomber pulled off successfully, returning with the Fusiliers riding on the backs of the tanks. The other “hosing down” tank commander, Captain Peter Charles Ormrod, twin son of Major M.S. Ormrod DSO from Pen-y-lan, Ruabon, North Wales (and later Pickhill Hall, Wrexham) was also awarded the Military Cross, having been previously recommended for the medal. Ormrod’s driver Sergeant Cadman found a Chinese man battering at his turret
to get in, and directed the tank straight through the wall of a house to brush him off, and then ran over an enemy machine-gun post beside the road.
Ormrod’s Military Cross citation explains that he had been in command of a Half Squadron and went up to assist the 1 NF and 1 RUR [1st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles] in disengaging from the enemy. His citation adds:
“Throughout the whole action he showed total disregard for his own safety, getting out of his tank in the midst of concentrated enemy fire to liaise with infantry and it was his determination to get his infantry out at all costs that was a major factor in this battle. By this decision he kept his tanks in position long after in theory they should have been withdrawn and so saved a great many lives.
Praise
“His own bravery throughout this action and his sound handling of a tricky situation was beyond praise. When he himself was wounded in the head by a mortar, he continued to direct operations until he was evacuated. This officer’s continual display of courage and bravery has been throughout every action in Korea an example of great leadership and bravery.”
Brigadier Brodie added in a hand-written note “Strongly recommended I saw a gallant performance”
The other 8th Hussars tanks (a Half Squadron) headed west to try to reach the men of the 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment, who were also surrounded, but these tanks did not succeed in breaking through the enemy hordes. Murray would later be promoted to Lieutenant-colonel and became the commanding officer of the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, seeing service in Aden and the
Middle East.
Two days later, after he had destroyed the gun stabilisation system and gunsight of the second tank according to Captain Murray’s Military Cross citation he “was responsible for recovering one Centurion tank, which had thrown a track in full view of the enemy, and he was only beaten by time from recovering the second. While he was out of his tank, directing not only recovering operations, but also the evacuation of 1 NF [1st Battalion, the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers] wounded, he was firing his Bren gun at the approaching Chinese and this he continued to do till the last moment, in spite of being wounded in the head and shoulder”.
One of the rear-guard Centurions was lost when it drove into a deep dyke and stuck its gun into the ground like a spike.
In February 1952 Bomber was accompanied to London by 30-year-old Sergeant Frederick Rowan of 129 Grange Lane, Mere Green, Sutton Coldfield, who was also awarded the Military Medal, at an investiture at Buckingham Palace.
Rowan was also in the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars. When news of his award was announced, his young wife Miriam sat down at their home to write to the War Office for details of his exploit. As she explained to a reporter “All he sent me was a cutting from the daily orders – two lines of congratulations from the commanding officer. It arrived two days before I went into a nursing home to have my third child, David.”
Rowan’s Citation explains what happened:
“This NCO commanded carrier Troop C Sqn 8H. On 23 Apr Sgt Rowan showed great
gallantry in accompanying 2/Lt Venner to rescue three wounded of Y Coy 1 NF [Northumberland Fusiliers] under direct enemy fire.
“On 25 Apr this NCO showed great leadership in commanding his carriers and was responsible for destroying many enemy. Although wounded in the head, he refused to be evacuated until the rearguard action had been successful.
Leadership
“This NCO has always shown great leadership and courage, and a great determination to destroy as many enemy as possible.”
As with Bomber’s recommendation, Brigadier Brodie added a similar hand-written comment: “an excellent performance.”
In all, four Hussar officers
and two other ranks (Bomber and Rowan) were awarded medals.
The stand on the Imjin River resulted in the Chinese forces being pulled out from the offensive. As one soldier from the ‘Glorious Glosters’ later commented “We upset their timetable.” The North Korean troops were unable to capture the South Korean capital of Seoul some 30 miles south and were soon retreating northwards. A few weeks later the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars returned to the area. Of the six Centurion tanks left on the battlefield, five were salvaged, and the sixth recycled for spare parts.
All the United Nations troops had resisted fiercely, but the British had fought the most ferociously, held out the most tenaciously, inflicted the highest casualties and won the greatest fame.