- Karl Mander Gravell
Infobox Military Person
name=Karl Mander Gravell
caption=
born=27 September 1922
died=10 November 1941
placeofbirth=Norrköping , Sweden
placeofdeath=Calgary , Canada
nickname=
allegiance=Canada
branch=Royal Canadian Air Force
serviceyears=
rank=Leading Aircraftman
unit=
commands=
battles=
awards=
relations=
laterwork=Leading Aircraftman Karl Mander Gravell was posthumously awarded theGeorge Cross , the highest British(and Commonwealth) award for bravery out of combat. The decoration was awarded for the heroism he showed on the10 November 1941 inCalgary ,Alberta . LAC Gravell was on a training flight when theTiger Moth aircraft he was flying in suffered mechanical failure and crashed in flames. Gravell managed to get clear but despite hisserious injuries - he had lost an eye and was badly burned - he dived back into the inferno with his own clothes still on fire in a vain effort to rescue the pilot. He was pulled from the wreckage but later died from his grievous burns.Born in
Sweden in 1922, he moved to Canada with his family in 1937 and became a naturalized Canadian citizen in July of that year. The aspiring air gunner had joined theRoyal Canadian Air Force on15 March 1941 from his adopted home town ofVancouver . After completing his depot training, he had been posted to No. 2 Wireless School in Calgary.cite web
url=http://www.gc-database.co.uk/recipients/GravellKM.htm
title=Karl Gravell, GC
publisher=George Cross database
accessdate=2007-11-22]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.