The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-04-06 00:00:00

YOUTHFUL GALLANTRY.

Three remarkable eases of gallantry in saving life on the
part of young boys, the eldest of whom was barely fifteen
years of age, have just been investigated by the committee
of the Royal Humane Society, who have unanimously voted
the presentation of the society's medallion, together with
suitable rwtmorials to each of them. The first was the case
of Wyndham ThomaseGibbes, and the circumstances were
briefly these
"While bathing in August last at Sandown, /ale of Wight,
from the sands, a third of mile beyond the houses and
under the cliffs on the Shanklin side, he and his
brothers were overtaken and surrounded by the
tide, which came in very rapidly, and the youngest
boy, Reginald Gibbes, who could not swim, suddenly
waded into a drain or gully several feet deep, and
went under about thirty yards from the shore.
Wyndham Gibbes immediately swam to him and caught
hold of him, when the drowning boy in his fright
clutched his arms and legs round him and rendered him
perfectly helpless, and they were both dragged down. The
elder brother, however, succeeded in tearing himself from
the younger's grasp, when the latter saLk again, but was
again seized lay the elder brother by the left aim, when he
again clutch's(' him round the neck and they both again
went down. By this time the would-be rescuer was
much exhausted and cried out for help, but without success.
Seeing, however, that his brother would inevitably be
drowned if he did not make a final effort to save him, he, by
desperate exertions, with the little remaining strength he
had, just succeeded in struggling with him till their feet
touched the ground, and they somehow managed to get out
of the water, when the noble boy fell down insensible from
the excitement and his exertions."
The next case was that of a boy named Gray, for saving
another named Good in January last, under the following
circumstances :
"The two lads were duck-shooting in the Tictoria area of
the sea at Esquinaalt, in a boat, when a sudden squall upset
the boat. Gray pulled his companion from beneath the
surface and pushed him to the boat—then bottom up—
when they managed to hold to the keel. The boat then
righted and again submerged them, when Gray once more
pulled up his weak companion, and placed him in the
boat, when on trying to get in, she again upset, im-
mersing them for the third time. Gray then took hold of his
companion, putting one arm round him, and holding the
boat with the other, pushed her towards the shore, some 30
or 40 yards off, and in a depth of 30 feet, and ultimately
placed Good in safety."
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_
.
The other case was that of William Patrick Brown, and
the circumstances under which he was rewarded were as
follows :

"In June last three young boys were on the River Rideau,
near Ottawa, in a frail flat-bottomed boat, when by some
accident the boat began to sink, and two of them jumped
out to attempt to swim ashore, but were drowned.
The third, a little fellow named Sharp, lost his presence)
of mind, and was being drifted away by the cur-
rent, when Brown, a lad of 14, wai the only per-
son out of a large crowd who would volunteer to
attempt his rescue. Ile gallantly sprang into the
river, which was at the scene of the accident 400 feet broad
and fifteen feet deep, and after swimming about ninety feet
from the shore reached the boy, and propelled the boat with
him to shore against a stream running at the rate of two
knots an hour."