Karl Mander Gravell, George Cross Recipient by Circespeaks
The text of the caption is too small to read in my photo. Please see the caption text, verbatim, below:
LEADING AIRCRAFTSMAN KARL MANDER GRAVEL
George Cross
A Wireless Air Gunner under training, Leading Aircraftsman Gravell was awarded the George Cross for his courage and daring in time of emergency. Involved in a training aircraft crash, his first thought was not for his personal safety but for that of his pilot. Ignoring the fact that his own clothes were ablaze, and himself severely wounded, he endeavored to release his comrade. Had he immediately proceeded to extinguish the flames on his own clothing, he would probably not have lost his life.
Karl Mander Gravell was the only child of my grandfather’s sister. The oldest child in a family of six from Sweden, Anna-Lisa moved to Vancouver, B.C., married there, and had only one child, Karl Mander. Were he still alive today, he would be my mother’s oldest cousin. His mother died in her early nineties, after many years alone, save for the company of a companion and caretaker. What a different life she would have enjoyed had her only child lived. He was 21 when he died.
Karl Mander was a student-in-training when the accident occurred. He died in a fruitless attempt to save his flight instructor, who had died on impact. I will have to ask my mother again, but it is my recollection that he crawled into the burning wreckage, not only with his own clothing and the wreckage on fire, but with a broken back.
Every year the Queen of England honors the fallen who have earned the highest honor, the Purple Heart. Those men and women have sacrificed their lives to save others in the line of enemy fire. Every other year she also honors the recipients of the George Cross, who have sacrificed their life in service to their country, but not under enemy fire. My mother and I hope, one day, to go to London to attend this ceremony and reception, during which the Queen meets and speaks with the families. My mother had the George Cross itself at home for many years. I remember seeing it when I was a young child. It is now with other crosses, and with a different photograph of Karl Mander, in an appropriate place of honor. I am the only person who sees this photo, which hangs near my front door, daily.
Canadians celebrate Remembrance Day rather than Veterans Day. I met a young Canadian while checking out at the grocery store on Friday evening. He wondered where there was an American Legion hall in our area because he needed a poppy to wear. There is not one nearby, so I hope my recollection that poppies are given, and donations accepted, outside the grocery store on Veteran’s Day itself, is correct. In Canada, he explained, all civil servants wear their poppy, for Remembrance Day, for the entire month of November.
Please join me in remembering Karl Mander, his life, and his sacrifice today.
Circespeaks 
You might like this poem about families and absence, “While He’s Away: A Poem About Being Gone.” http://wp.me/p3BzWN-lB
Thank you for sharing this poem and these photographs, Jason. This brings tears to my eyes, as I am sure it does to yours. Do you know the poet, or the photographer? I had thought of posting the ever-poignant World War I poem, “In Flanders Field,” in part because of its haunting beauty but also because Lt. Col. John McCrae was Canadian. Your poem speaks to the living: to those who are away, to those who miss them, and to those who can only imagine.
Thank you for the kind words. I wrote the poem, and compiled the pictures from internet sources. Please share with anyone else you think can relate!
I am with Royal Canadian Air Force Public Affairs in Ottawa, Ontario. We are running a series of RCAF aircrew profiles on our news website (http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/news/articles.page) in conjunction with our coverage of the upcoming 75th anniversary of the launching of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
The first of those profiles is of Leading Aircraftman Karl Gravell. In my online research of him, I came across your website with the beautifully framed photo of LAC Gravelle, and the interesting and poignant text about him and his (your) family.
We would very much like your permission to run your framed image of LAC Gravell on our website, along with several parts of the accompanying text, which I am including below, in quotation marks.
“Karl Mander Gravell was the only child of my grandfather’s sister. The oldest child in a family of six from Sweden, Anna-Lisa moved to Vancouver, B.C., married there, and had only one child, Karl Mander. Were he still alive today, he would be my mother’s oldest cousin. His mother died in her early nineties, after many years alone, save for the company of a companion and caretaker. What a different life she would have enjoyed had her only child lived. He was 21 when he died.
Karl Mander was a student-in-training when the accident occurred. He died in a fruitless attempt to save his flight instructor, who had died on impact.
My mother had the George Cross itself at home for many years. I remember seeing it when I was a young child. It is now with other crosses, and with a different photograph of Karl Mander, in an appropriate place of honor. I am the only person who sees this photo, which hangs near my front door, daily.
Please join me in remembering Karl Mander, his life, and his sacrifice.”
This text would run as the caption accompanying the photograph.
We would, of course, give credit to you (we would need your given name and surname), and would also list the URL of your webpage where this text and photo reside.
My RCAF email address is ruthanne.urquhart@forces.gc.ca. My telephone number at work is 1-613-992-1685.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Ruthanne
Dear Ruthanne, I am out of the country for a few days, and would like to ask my mother’s permission, which I am certain she will honor, upon my return. I would also like to correct my own grammatical error (the misplaced modifier “daily”), in the text if you would allow.
I will contact you as soon as possible upon my return.
Thank you for your interest in Karl Mander. My mother recently (only last week), located a family photo of Karl Mander’s parents receiving the George Cross. He and they remain in our thoughts and prayers.
I will be in touch as soon as I am able, but free to send me a follow-up reminder.
Hello, I am the Heritage Officer for 17 Wing Winnipeg, RCAF. Karl Mander Gravell’s George Cross and Anna-Lisa’s Memorial Cross are on display in the 1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters building. If you have not seen the display, I can send you some images. We are trying to determine Anna-Lisa Gravell’s death date for our records. My email is gordon.crossley@forces.gc.ca I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for contacting me. It is now late on the East Coast. I will be in touch tomorrow as soon as I have contacted the most knowledgeable family elder. My mother, or my uncle in California, may know the date of Faster Anna Lisa’s passing. (As my mother’s father’s sister, she was known to me as “Faster Anna Lisa.”) My cousin Anita and I supposedly look a bit like her. My Uncle Jan was the last family member to visit Anna Lisa in Vancouver.
Sadly, I have never visited the West Coast of Canada, but only to the Province of Quebec. We would appreciate your photos, and we appreciate your care and concern. Karl Mander still greets those who notice him from the entry of our home.
Dear Officer Crossley,
My mother is just back from a long trip to Florida, and is now, ironically, snowed in. In a currently inaccessible place, she has an envelope with information about and possibly photos of Anna-Lisa Gravell and Karl Mander. She has no recollection of the date of Anna-Lisa’s passing, but might find it with her papers. We will contact you again next week.
Anna Lisa passed away March 24, 2003
I knew her and was at her memorial.
I would love to correspond with you further.
My mother, who knew her Aunt Anna Lisa, will be happy to correspond with you😊I will need to give her your email address
Hello Circe and Marie,
Thank you for responding to my request. We can now complete the memory stone for Anna Lisa Gravell. We would be most interested in copies of any photographs and documents you may have to better tell the story in our museum. I can be contacted directly at gordon.crossley@forces.gc.ca