ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY

Southland Times, Issue 16784, 12 July 1911, Page 7

ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY

SEVEBAL B.WAEDSL (Per United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH. July 10. The Board of Directors of the Royal Humane Society met this afternoon when the following applications for awards were considered: — Case of David Spence (49) in rescuing E. J. Prestall (25) from being stabbed at Dunedin on Aug. sth, 1910. —The facts were that on Aug. sth, 1910, at 7.30 a.m, while on the ship “County of Inverness,” David Spence was standing on the port side of tiie shin when lie saw the captain of'the ship and the second officer trying to get a. Russian Finn on board, and. just as he was on the rail, David Spence called out to the officer that he had his knife* out. “And by the time I ran over,” he added, “the second officer had got his arm. I asked the man to lot go the knife, but he held it all the faster and I gave the knife a jerk breaking it into three pieces. The second officer's hand was cut. At the time I called out the knife was close to his body. The man then went to the galley and took the carving knife, which lie intended to use afterwards.” —Resolved that the case was not cne that came within the scope of the Society’s work. Case of Catherine E. Bayne (14) in rescuing George McKay (13) from drowning at Dunedin on Feb. 24th. 1911. The facts were that on Feb. 24th, 1911, Catherine Bayne was at her school picnic at North East Harbour. She was bathing about sixty or eighty yards from where George McKay was when a boy called out that George McKay was drowning. Malcolm Turner went in to help him, but got Into difficulties. Miss Bayne swam out to help Turner. McKay had sunk several times when she brought him out Into shallow water and then her mother took him up on the bank. He was cold and unconscious and it took quite forty minutes to bring him round.—Bronze medal awarded.

Case of Percy A. Page (25) in rescuing Mr Radley from drowning at Nelson on Aug. 21st, 1910. The facts were that on August 21st, 19'0, at 10 a.m., James H. Haase witnessed an accident and that Percy Page, of Taknka, dived into the water and rescued the man Radley at the risk of lus own life, Radiy being a very tall man and Page a very undersized one. Radley was In a very exhausted condition, quite unable to save himself, and the officers of the ship were a considerable time in pumping out the ' water which Radley had swallowed. The tide had drifted Radley under the wharf and made it extremely difficult for a small man like Page to get him out through the under structure of the wharf —Bronze medal awarded. Case of Cyril Waters (17) in rescuing James Torrane (29) from drowning at Gatlins on Dec. 28, 1910.—The facts were that on Dec. 28th, 1910, Waters swam out a distance of 10yds in between 6ft and 10ft of water to reach Torrane, who was in difficulties. He lost no time in reaching Torrane and promptly had him on *the bank. The promptness of the rescue avoided any occasion to resort to restoration. —Letter of commendation granted. Case of Herbert R. Clough (7) in rescuing Gordon ane Gladys Clough (five months and five years) from fire at Pitt Island, January 13th, I Oil. On Jan. T3th, .1911, at 10 a.m. Mrs Clough, whose husband was away at work, left her home to go to the garden, a mile distant from the house, leaving Herbert In charge of the younger children, who were asleep in one of the rooms. Some few minutes later the boy, who was playing outside, hearing streams inside and found the room in flames. He immediately led his little sister outside. Then, covering the baby with a blanket, placed him In the care of the little girl and re-entered the burning room, pulled the bedding from the bedstead, tore down the blazing curtains,, and dragged a tub of water from the adjoining room and beat out the flames with a wet broom. When the flames were extinguished he collapsed and sank on the bedstead. He not only saved the lives of the two children, but also the house and furniture. —Framed certificate awarded, also special letter to be framed setting out the facts of the case and the high appreciation felt by the Board of Directors.