Flight Sergeant STANLEY JAMES WOODBRIDGE
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
159 Sqdn.
Died 07 February 1945
Age 23 years old
- Country of Service United Kingdom
- Awards George Cross
- Additional Info Son of James Henry and May Ashman Woodbridge; husband of Florence Edith Woodbridge, of Chingford, Essex.
- Personal Inscription IN PROUD AND HONOURED MEMORY OF A DEVOTED HUSBAND AND LOVING SON
- Additional Citation note
The following details are given in the London Gazette of 24th September, 1948, in which the award of the George Cross was announced:
Flt. Sgt. Woodbridge was the wireless operator in a Liberator aircraft which crashed in Burma on 31st January 1945, and was taken prisoner by the Japanese together with 5 other members of the crew. All six were subjected to torture, and eventually the four N.C.O.'s were separated from the others, taken to a forest and there put to death by beheading. During the subsequent trial of three officers and three N.C.O.'s of the Japanese Army at which they were found guilty of the torture and murder of these four airmen, it was revealed that they had concentrated their efforts on Flt. Sgt. Woodbridge, in an endeavour to obtain techincal information which would have been useful to the Japanese Intelligence service. Despite repeated and prolonged torture this gallant airman steadfastly refused to speak, and was beheaded on February 7th, 1945. Flt. Sgt. Woodbridge behaved throughout with supreme courage. His fortitude, loyalty to this country and complete disregard for his own safety constitute one of the highest examples of valour in the annals of the Royal Air Force.
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