I was totally unaware that there was an Edward Medal in existence until I read this article in The London Gazette
Fuller details can be found on Wikipedia
According to Wikipedia the Edward Medal (Industry) was only awarded 188 times (25 silver and 163 bronze, of which only two were awarded to women), making the Edward Medal one of the rarest British gallantry awards. Only posthumous awards were made after 1949, and the Edward Medal (Industry) (1st class) was not awarded after 1948.
The Edward Medal was discontinued in 1971, when surviving recipients of the Edward Medal (along with holders of the Albert Medal) were invited to exchange their award for the George Cross. Nine (2 silver, 7 bronze) elected not to exchange their medals.
Unfortunately the article does not stipulate if Bernard was awarded a silver or bronze medal but judged by his actions in the early morning of April 26th 1939 he certainly deserves the highest award possible -- a stunning act of bravery and selflessness!
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