![]() He joined the RAN in July 1918 as a boy seaman in the training ship HMAS Tingira, and served through the 1920s in the battlecruiser Australia, the sloop Geranium, cruisers Melbourne and Sydney, as well as the destroyers Anzac and Warrego before discharging as a Petty Officer in 1928. John Humphries was born on 26 October 1903 in Sebastopol, a suburb in the Victorian town of Ballarat. He was decorated for his role in extremely hazardous diving operations while undertaking salvage work in Iran during late 1941. Only nine members of the Royal Australian Navy received the George Medal during the conflict aside from Humphries they were all naval officers. When Petty Officer John T Humphries of the armed merchant cruiser HMS Kanimbla was awarded the new medal in early 1942, it was to be the highest decoration awarded to an Australian rating during World War II. However it also served to recognise service personnel for acts of great bravery not conducted in the face of the enemy for which other military awards were not appropriate. ![]() ![]() The George Medal was established by King George VI in September 1940 primarily to honour civilian acts of courage.
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