The exceptional and nationally important Second War ‘London Blitz’ Gallantry C.B.E. group of ten awarded to Major Frank Whitford ‘Gentleman’ Jackson, a decorated veteran of the Great War who commanded the London Fire Brigade throughout the period of the London Blitz will be offered in an auction of Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria at Noonans Mayfair (16 Bolton Street) on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. The medals, which will be sold with photographs and various presentation items, are expected to fetch £20,000-30,000. They are being sold by his grandchildren Frank W Goulding and Prof. Celia W Goulding for the sole Benefit of Fire Fighters Charity – the charity that their grandfather helped set up in 1940 under the name of the Fire Service National Benevolent Fund, from an initial donation of £24.
Co-ordinating the battle against the firestorms and devastation in the capital was the Deputy Chief of the London Fire Brigade, Frank Jackson, who had risen through the ranks to take up the role on the eve of the Second World War in 1939. Jackson faced numerous perils, having been ordered directly by Winston Churchill, during the night raid of 29 December, to protect St Paul’s Cathedral at all costs. To have lost such an icon as St Paul’s to enemy action would have had a devastating effect on the public morale of the entire country. A large bomber force arrived over London just after 6pm. and saturated the City area and the East End with incendiaries and High Explosive bombs; serious fires occurred in the vicinity of St Paul’s Cathedral, the great warehouses in the Minories, London Guild Hall and Moorgate – St. Paul’s, although ringed by fire and destruction, escaped virtually undamaged; the most spectacular air-raid of the war, referred to as the “Second Great Fire of London” killed 160 civilians and injured 500; London’s Fire Service lost 16 men and over 350 were seriously injured.
As Winston Chrurchill said at the height of the Blitz, when announcing the award of Jackson’s C.B.E. for services during the London Blitz in 1941: “Major Jackson’s is the biggest job of its kind in the world. His is the brain which controls the use of all London’s fire-fighting resources, from the big stations down to the smallest of its 3,000 appliances. He is the leader of an Army of 33,000 gallant men and women.”
Nimrod Dix, Deputy Chairman of Noonans and Director of the Medal Department added: “Eighty-five years on, The Blitz remains the single most devastating and sustained attack on mainland Britain in recorded history. Estimates vary but some say it claimed the lives of 43,500 civilians – around half the total who died in the entire war – and made one in every six Londoners homeless. The bombing and firestorms that resulted led to the damage or destruction of 1.1 million homes – 2 million when other cities were taken into account. Vital infrastructure, including docks and railways, were also destroyed. The nightly bombing began on 7 September 1940 and continued unbroken for 57 days. The Blitz lasted until May 1941, the final night of devastation raining down on London on 10 May.”
He continued: “Aided by the Auxiliary Fire Service, the London Fire Brigade was at the heart of the firestorms that raged across the capital over those eight months. They had to deal with countless incendiary devices that had not exploded on impact, while also fighting out-of-control fires in soaring temperatures, often with limited or unreliable access to water to douse the flames. The London Fire Brigade estimates that in the first 22 days of The Blitz alone, its men had to tackle 10,000 fires. Buildings would collapse around them as the bombing continued, and factories and warehouses hit by bombs could add to the peril and conflagration as their inflammable contents caught alight. Meanwhile returning to base gave no let-up as the bombers targeted fire stations too, and communication lines broke down hampering efforts further. By the end of The Blitz, 327 London fire fighters had lost their lives – the national total was 997. The largest single loss had come in April 1941, when 34 died tackling the devastation at the Old Palace School sub-station in Poplar. It is still the largest loss of life from a single incident for the service in history.”
Frank W Goulding added: “My sister and I are delighted to put forward for auction our grandfather’s medals and silver tray. It seems fitting that the charity he helped set up just prior to the Blitz should benefit from their sale.”
Ellie Rocks, Director of Fundraising at Fire Fighters Charity said: “We are deeply honoured that Major Frank Jackson’s family have chosen to support Fire Fighters Charity through the sale of his medals.
“This remarkable gesture ensures that Frank’s lifelong commitment to the fire services community lives on, helping its members manage the impact of service, recover from injury or illness, and find strength through life’s challenges.
“We are incredibly grateful to his grandchildren for this meaningful tribute, which will make a real difference to our fire family across the UK.”
Frank Jackson was born on 23 June 1886, at Strood, Kent, to Arthur Jackson, a naval engineer at Chatham Dockyard, and Celia, neé Mason. The family moved around the country as demanded by Arthur’s work, but settled in Greenwich, with Arthur working at the Royal Woolwich Dockyard and Frank being educated at The John Roan School, Westcombe Park, near Greenwich, followed by King’s College, London. After qualifying for the Civil Service, records show that he worked as a clerk in the Education Department of the London County Council. He was a founder member of the Westcombe Park Rugby Club, and captained the team for several seasons, later becoming club President, a post he held until his death. He was also a keen fly fisherman and took an active interest in athletics. Retiring in 1951, Jackson died aged 68 on 16 June 1955 and was interred in ‘Fireman’s Corner’ in Highgate Cemetery, the last firefighter to be laid to rest there.
Also of interest in the sale are Major Jackson’s miniature replica dress medals which carry an estimate of £150-£200. While medals awarded to Frank’s brother and son will also be offered in the sale. On 12 June 1943, his son, Frank Jnr, died when the Wellington bomber he was piloting crashed at R.A.F. Bircham Newton, Norfolk, on its return from a mission over the Ruhr. They carry an estimate of £400-500, while the Great War Western Front M.C. group of four awarded to his younger brother Captain Walter Frederick Jackson of the Army Service Corps is estimated at £600-£800.
