GLOWING HEROISM IT SEA HONOURED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 148, 25 June 1935, Page 7

GLOWING HEROISM IT SEA HONOURED.

MID-OCEAN DRAMA. Posthumous Awards Made By the King. BRITISH AND BELGIANS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 1 p.m.) RUGBY, June 24. The King has made a posthumous award of the Albert Medal to Thomas Gibson, late cook of the s.s. Usworth. The silver medal' for life-saving at sea, pieces of plate and other awards were made' also to the masters and various officers and members of the crew 01! the Belgian ship Jean Jadot and the Cunard-Whit'e Star liner Ascania, who displayed great bravery and skill in saving the men of the Usworth during a violent gale in midAtlantic last December. Two members of the crew of the Jean Jadot were drowned and a lifeboat capsized, and posthumous awards were made in their case. Gibson gave his life in trying to save the messroom boy.' He was a strong swimmer and was within a stroke or two of a lifeboat which the Ascania launched when the boy cried for help and Gibson turned back for him. Both were swept away. The Ascania's lifeboat was commanded with great skill and courage by Lieutenant Pollitt, Royal Naval Reserve, junior third officer of the Ascania. It was several times nearly smashed by the Usworth or Ascania. The gale was so violent that oars were forced from the rowlocks, blown out of tiie men's hands, and all but six were broken. While the lifeboat was at one moment in a trough of steep waves it was at the next level with the Usworth's boat deck. Nevertheless, the remainder of the crew were taken off.