John Bamford was born in
Ilkeston on 7 March 1937, the second of six children of John and Rachel Bamford. His father was a coal-miner, and Bamford quit school at age 15 to work alongside him at the
Moorgreen Colliery, as a belt maintenance assistant. On 19 October 1952, Bamford rescued his two younger brothers from their upstairs bedroom when a fire occurred during the night at their home in
Newthorpe. He spent several weeks in an intensive care unit with severe burns to his face, neck, chest, stomach, back, arms and hands. His George Cross was announced on 16 December 1952, with Bamford receiving notification days earlier via a letter, while he was still in the hospital. On 10 March 1953, Bamford travelled to
Buckingham Palace to receive his award from
Queen Elizabeth. In 1959, he moved to
Awsworth, where he owned and operated a
vehicle breakers business. Upon his retirement in 1993, he then moved to
Land's End. In 2011, he loaned his award to be put on display at the
Imperial War Museum in London, quoted in the
Nottingham Post, as saying: "It is better on display there than being hidden away." In 2022, he was invited to the
funeral of Queen Elizabeth. Bamford died on 2 November 2023, at the age of 86. ==Record loss==