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Gordon Love Bastian GC MBE (30 March 1902 – November 1987) was an engineering officer in the British Merchant Navy who was awarded the Albert Medal for risking his own life to save other members of the crew of SS ''Empire Bowman'' after it was torpedoed on 31 March 1943. In 1971, living recipients of the Albert Medal and Edward Medal were instructed to return their medal, and were instead issued with the George Cross, the highest United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations award for civilian gallantry (also awarded to members of the armed forces whose actions were not "in the face of the enemy"). ==Early life and career== Bastian was born at Barry, Glamorgan in south Wales on 30 March 1902. In 1927, he first travelled to Canada.〔 〕 He joined the merchant navy and became an engineering officer. With the outbreak of the Second World War most British merchant shipping was organised into convoys, but German u-boats and surface raiders still inflicted considerable losses during the Battle of the Atlantic. Bastian was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire for his convoy service on 1 January 1942.〔Besly, p. 86〕 By 12 March 1942, Bastian was second engineer officer on SS ''Empire Bowman'', which was departing Freetown, Sierra Leone as part of Convoy SL 126, due to arrive in Liverpool at the beginning of April.〔 On 30 March 1942 (coincidentally Bastian's 41st birthday), she was torpedoed by in the Atlantic Ocean some north west of Cape Finisterre. At great personal risk, Bastian rescued two stokers from the sinking ship, for which he was awarded the Albert Medal on 17 August 1943, the citation read: In 1944, Bastian was also awarded the Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea for his actions.〔Besly, p. 74〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gordon Bastian」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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