Johns, Melbourne – Grantham foreman stole a march on the Nazis

Melbourne Johns (1901–1955)

BORN in Llanwnda, near Fishguard, in 1901, Melbourne Johns worked in munition factories in England, but is best known for his work at BMARCo in Grantham.

While there in 1940, it became apparent the Hispano Suiza works in France had important Deep Hole Boring Machines that could be of immense value to the Germans.

Johns volunteered to go out on a mission with a team of soldiers to recover the equipment, against his bosses’ wishes, before the Germans could get hold of it.

Once in France, Johns and his soldier mates found both the factory and local village deserted and were able to load the equipment on to a commandeered lorry and drive it back to England, staying just ahead of the German forces.

The Deep Hole Boring Machine was used for drilling the barrels of the Hispano-Suiza HS.404 20mm cannon that armed Spitfires and Hurricane fighters.

He married Catherine Williams in 1930.

His heroic exploits were captured in the 1942 morale-boosting film, The Foreman Went to France, starring Tommy Trinder, Robert Morley, Gordon Jackson and Constance Cummings, with Welsh actor Clifford Evans playing the part of Melbourne (picture).