The website below lists all the Society's Bronze awards, including for the war years. Citations are listed for the years 1914 - 1917 (they didn't do them after that year)

Click here

I've gone through all the citations, extracted the military/naval ones and put them into an alphabetical and cross-referenced Word document (about 30 pages long).

This is an example of the informatioon in a citation:-

"Armstrong, J.B. Lce.-Corpl. Irish Rifles. – On the 27th March 1915, owing to the capsize of a boat, a man was thrown into Dundrum Bay, the night being dark and the depth 20 feet. Armstrong swam out 30 yards and brought him to land."

If you'd like a copy, please drop me an email or PM with your email address.

John

What prompted you to do this, John? Did it start off on connection with your inquiries into the soldiers of Stockport?

Gwyn

Actually... hope this isn't a stupid question, but why Humane Society? Today, atleast in the US, this usually refers to animal welfare not man's humanity towards his fellow man.
Andy

Not a stupid question.

In British English, humane refers to acts of compassion or kindness both to other people and to animals.

Gwyn

Gwyn

Can't quite remember how I came across it - it was a few months back. No doubt one of those odd Googles threw it up when I was researching some Stopfordian or another (not that I've come across anyone I know on the list, yet)

Why did I spend hours "cut and pasting"? I hoped someone might be interested - it's the anorak in me.

John

Hello John

Thank you for sending the copy of the records, which made poignant and uplifting reading.

In addition to the obvious accidents and disasters, I found myself thinking about some of the more vague or obscure descriptions of people in danger of drowning. How many, I wondered, related to soldiers who had simply had enough and decided to terminate their lives? How many of these well-intentioned, brave, selfless men did what they did and prolonged a life against the wishes of its unhappy owner?

I saw some references to attempted suicides. I’d be interested to know what were the consequences for the rescued person. And whether the rescuer’s reflections in retrospect led him to believe that he had done the right thing.

Gwyn

Hi, Gwyn

Glad you've found it interesting.

I suspect quite a number were suicides (or attempts, at least). It was , of course, a criminal offence until not so long ago, so the consequences for the rescued person may have been quite serious.


John