The first recipient of the Cornwell Scout Badge was Patrol Leader Arthur Shepherd, who had assisted the Coastguard during the wreck of the hospital ship, HMHS "Rohilla", in a severe gale at Whitby in October 1914. His duties had included running messages and fetching rescue equipment along a steep narrow ledge, on a cliff that was being washed by high waves. He had also led his patrol in assisting the Coastguard during the German bombardment of Whitby in December of the same year. The badge, which was actually the manufacturer's sample and the only one in existence at the time, was presented by Baden-Powell at a rally in Middlesbrough in December 1916, in front of the Archbishop of York and 3,000 Scouts.