A few weeks ago, we carried a piece about the North Eastern Railway during the First World War.
The piece mentioned a WT Naylor, a bricklayer at York carriageworks and a member of the North Eastern Railway fire brigade, who was presented with a medal by the St John’s Ambulance Association for “conspicuous bravery” during a Zeppelin raid on York.
We were subsequently contacted by Mr Naylor’s granddaughter, Kathleen Woof, who said her grandfather – his full name was William Tomas Naylor, but he was usually known as Brickie – won his medal for rescuing a girl from a burning house in Upper Price Street. The house had been hit by a bomb from a Zeppelin.
We now have a photograph of Brickie Naylor thanks to another granddaughter, Joy Moses, of Flamborough.
Her grandfather didn’t only rescue a young woman when he ran into that house, he rescued her baby, too, Mrs Moses said.
“He was a lovely, proud man,” she said. And you can see that from the photograph. It shows him in his firefighter’s uniform– a proud figure, with a heavy moustache, dignified posture, and eyes that are full of feeling.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here