Quote:
Originally Posted by Puxlut
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Seems appropriate to note here that I currently (temporarily) have in my possession the first ever awarded Mountbatten Medal "for the most courageous rescue or rescue attempt in the Commonwealth by the holder of a Royal Life Saving Society Award."
Unfortunately, I have it because my mother died of cancer at the end of last month and I borrowed it to display at her funeral. It was a very special and also sad moment to have Robert (Bob) Wardle there to tell the story how he,
as a 15 year old kid, saved my then 2.5 year old mom from drowning.
Because of Bob having just finished his training as a lifeguard in small-town Alberta he was able to pull off a truly heroic rescue (on his day off no less) and give my mom a second chance at life - leading to her having three sons and seven grandchildren. In an interesting little twist, my family now lives literally 2 blocks away from Bob and his wife on the same street and he often gets to witness the results of the amazing thing he did over 65 years ago.
The official citation does not do justice to the story, but here it is:
https://www.lifesaving.org/web/LSpages/LS.php?e=294
Quote:
ROBERT BYRON WARDLE
of Tilley, Alberta, Canada - 1951
While playing with her brother, a little girl fell into a cistern which had been placed below the surface of the ground. By reason of the small opening and the depth of the water it was necessary for Robert Wardle to get into the cistern, feet first with no possibility of escaping without help.
Lack of light, coldness of water, board and a nail keg, and other refuse which children at different times had thrown in the tank, hampered Robert from locating the body at the bottom of the cistern. Having done so, he brought her to the surface and passed her through the small opening. The water in the cistern was 10 feet deep, the manhole to the cistern was about 18 inches square and three feet above the surface of the water. The diameter of the cistern was just 5 feet.
The child had been in the water for about 10 minutes, breathing had stopped and the patient looked blue. Robert Wardle applied artificial respiration and the child was afterwards taken to the hospital suffering from shock. After two days she made a complete recovery. Robert Wardle is a holder of the Bronze Medallion award.
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For obvious reasons I cannot say enough in support of every child being taught to swim. And it is truly my honour to share how special of a person Mr. Wardle is to our family.