| Gallantry |
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Gallantry | ||
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Awards for Gallantry
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Robert Pearson |
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Edward Medal | |||
| Date: | 11 Jul 1925 | ||
| Colliery: | Stockport | ||
| Occupation: | Labourer | ||
Whitehall, October 8, 1925.
His Majesty The King has been graciously pleased to award the Edward Medal to Robert Pearson, a labourer employed at the works of Messrs. H. Marsland Ltd., at Stockport, in the following circumstances:—
On July 11th, 1925, while two boys named Stothert and Bowden were working in a vat at the works of Messrs. H. Marsland, Ltd., at Stockport, there was a sudden inrush of scalding liquid and steam owing to a mistake made in opening the pipe of another vat. The screams of the scalded boys attracted the attention of other workers and attempts were made to extricate them through the manholes. Bowden was successfully drawn out but Stothert after reaching the manhole fell back into the vat owing to the burnt flesh of his hand giving way. Pearson, a labourer employed at the works, then came upon the scene. He saw Bowden pulled out terribly scalded and on hearing that Stothert was still in the vat he at once ran to it. He jumped down the manhole and after groping about found Stothert with some difficulty and hoisted him sufficiently to enable those outside to drag him to the surface. Pearson's feet were severely scalded during his efforts and he was practically unconscious on being drawn to the top.
Both boys succumbed to their injuries but Pearson's effort to save Stothert's life was a very gallant one. Though the steam had been turned off when Pearson entered the vat he was unaware of this and so far as he could tell the vat might have been full of boiling liquid. He had never been inside one of these vats before: all he knew was that he had seen one boy terribly scalded and that there was another boy inside and he faced the risk of attempting the rescue without any regard to his own safety, while neither the scalding he experienced nor the intense pain which he suffered deterred him from persisting in his efforts to get the lad out.
Source: London Gazette (20 Oct 1925)
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