09/04/2026
in 1968, flight attendant Jane Harrison helped passengers escape from a burning aircraft close to London, UK. She was posthumously awarded the George Cross for heroism, the only woman to be directly awarded the medal for gallantry in peacetime.
Barbara Jane Harrison was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, on 24th May 1945 and worked as a flight attendant with BOAC. On 8 April 1968, the number two engine of BOAC Flight 712 caught fire and fell from the plane's port wing soon after it left Heathrow Airport.
The aircraft managed to land two and a half minutes later, but fire continued to engulf the wing and spread to the fuselage.
Jane and another flight attendant inflated the escape chute at the back of the plane but it became entangled. Her colleague had to climb down to free it for use and was unable to return to assist with the evacuation.
Jane stayed at her station and helped passengers to escape as fire ravaged the plane, encouraging them to jump and in some cases simply pushing them out to safety.
As the fire spread, escape from the rear of the aircraft became impossible and she led the remaining passengers to another exit. She refused to leave the plane to save herself and her body was found near that of a disabled pensioner, seated in one of the last rows. She was just 22 years old.
Jane is one of four women to have been directly awarded the George Cross for heroism, and the only one of the four not to have served with the Special Operations Executive in occupied France during Second World War.
A tree commemorating Jane’s bravery and sacrifice can be found close to Yeomanry Avenue at the Arboretum.
