Captain 161418 Charles Morris Cann GM, Bomb Disposal, Royal Engineers was born 1923 the son of John Arthur Cann (1880 to 1946) and Ruby Louise nee Morris (1886 to 1960). (*)

The 1911 census for Lewisham records his father as a works manager at an asbestos mill. Charles was educated at Eastbourne College In the winter of 1940 he married Jean Beatrice Allen in the Cambridge district and the couple produced two children.

Charles joined the Royal Engineers and volunteered for Bomb Disposal. On the 28th October 1940, in the Ipswich area the first Butterfly Bombs were dropped.

These anti-personnel bombs proved difficult to deal with as the slightest movement could set them off and a number of policeman were killed when they attempted to pick them up - and indeed elsewhere in the country they caused casualties in this way and inquisitive children were especially vulnerable.

Lieutenant Louis. N. Taylor and then Sergeant Charles. N. Cann of 4 Bomb Disposal Company, were given the task of dealing with this new threat.

They destroyed the bombs by placing an explosive charge close by and detonating it. One was located and its fuze appeared not to be fully armed as the rotating spindle attached to the wings hadn’t been unscrewed far enough.

Sergeant Cann, at great risk to himself screwed the arming spindle back in and removed the fuze, rendering it safe. This was the first intact butterfly bomb to be recovered and provided useful technical intelligence.

For this action and for his previous work in Bomb Disposal he was awarded the George Medal, gazetted 22nd of January 1941, Sergeant Cann was promoted to Captain and continued in Bomb Disposal.

During his service he had many narrow escapes. On one occasion, he was working on a parachute mine when it started ticking; the fuze was now active and the mine was about to explode.

Needless to say he left the site in a hurry, clambering over a number of six foot high garden walls; the mine exploded and he was only just far enough away to avoid injury.

He Later developed a way of dealing with anti-personnel and tank mines buried on shingle beaches.

On the 31st of July 1945, he went into Southlands hospital to have his tonsils removed but died under anaesthetic. (His son died some years later under the same circumstances).

His probate gives him as of Patchings, Downside,Shoreham by Sea. He died at 193 Upper Shoreham Road, Kingston by Sea, Shoreham by Sea. His estate of £909 16/- 3d was administered to Barclay's Bank.

Captain Cann is commemorated in Brighton (Woodvale) Crematorium