Bradford flight attendant who died rescuing passengers from airplane blaze awarded George Cross

Wednesday, 30 October 2019 16:00

A blue plaque has been unveiled to honour a Bradford flight attendant who lost her life while evacuating an airplane that went up in flames in 1968.

British Overseas Airways Corporation employee Barbara Harrison – known as Jane - became the first woman to be awarded the George Cross for heroism in peacetime, as she stayed behind on a burning plane in an attempt to save the lives of the passengers on board the craft.

Ms Harrison was born in Bradford in 1945, and was working on a flight from London Heathrow to Australia. However, soon after taking off, the plane encountered difficulties and was forced to return for an emergency landing.

Following the landing, the plane burst into flames, prompting the stewards to evacuate via the emergency chutes to extinguish the fire, while Ms Harrison stayed at the back of the plane to help passengers leave.

Recalling the incident, John Hutchinson, second officer on the flight, said: "We stopped on the runway, this superheated metal burst into flames and the fire spread from the tail of the aeroplane up the fuselage.

"Every now and then there'd be the most horrendous explosions as a fuel tank exploded or a tyre burst."

It is thought that Ms Harrison died when she returned to help an elderly disabled lady and an eight-year-old girl, but none of them escaped.

Five people, including Ms Harrison, died. The other 122 people on board survived.

Ms Harrison's posthumous George Cross is on show at the British Airways Heritage Collection at Heathrow and was paid for by British Airways.

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