Barbara Jane Harrison GC (24 May 1945 – 8 April 1968), typically known as Jane Harrison,[1] was a British air stewardess. She is one of four women to have been awarded the George Cross for heroism,[2] and is the only woman to be awarded the medal for gallantry in peacetime (the other three female George Cross recipients served with the Special Operations Executive in occupied France during the Second World War). Aeroplane fire and death[edit] At 16.27 BST (15.27 GMT), twelve minutes late, on 8 April 1968, BOAC Flight 712 left Heathrow Airport, bound indirectly for Sydney. Soon after take-off, the Boeing 707's number two engine caught fire and, after about a minute in the air, fell from the plane's port wing. The aircraft managed to land two-and-a-half minutes later, after three minutes thirty-two seconds of flight, but fire continued to engulf the wing and had spread to the fuselage. Harrison and second steward Bryan Taylor inflated the starboard escape chute at the aft of the plane but it became entangled and Taylor, who was responsible for opening the door and deploying the chute, had to climb down to free it for use and was unable to return.[8] Harrison stayed at her station and helped passengers to escape as fire consumed the plane, encouraging them to jump and in some cases simply pushing them out to safety. As the fire spread, escape from the over-wing starboard exit of the aircraft became impossible and she led the remaining passengers towards the rear. Here she helped passengers to escape, firstly by them descending down the chute, and then, when it had burnt away, by pushing them out of the starboard rear door, continuing to do so with "flames and smoke licking around her face".[9] Harrison was seen by survivors and observers on the ground at the exit seemingly preparing to jump, but then, with flames at the door and billowing black smoke all around, she turned back into the burning fuselage.[10] There then occurred another explosion and she was not seen again.[11] It is unknown why exactly Harrison, on the verge of safety, returned to the cabin, although a BAA Fire Officer who entered the burned out aircraft believed it was to assist a severely disabled Israeli woman, Esther Cohen, and several others.[12]Harrison attempted to help her despite the extreme risks involved, and in so doing bravely died at her post in the service of others. The following day, Jane Harrison's body was found in the debris huddled together with four others near the rear door: Mrs Cohen, a widow, Mary Smith, a young Australian teacher, Catherine Shearer and Jacqueline Cooper, an eight-year-old girl on her way with her parents and two brothers to emigrate to Perth in Australia.[13] All had died from "Asphyxia due to Inhalation of Fire Fumes".[14] Jane Harrison was aged twenty-two when she died. She is buried in Fulford Cemetery in York.[15] Barbara Jane Harrison - Wikipedia
London Gazette Citation https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/44913/supplement/8211/data.pdf Kyle
