June’s ‘From the Archive’ highlights a brave fire rescue from 1939, whereby a police constable risked his own life to enter a burning house to rescue five people from a fire, earning him a Gold medal and certificate from the Society.

June 1894
General Rescue
A Bronze Medal and 10s. were awarded to Police Constables Nicholas Twizell and Thomas H. Dean, of the County Police, for having on 9th June 1894, at considerable risk, stopped a runaway horse at Waterloo, and saved a child from being run over. Both officers were injured, Twizell most seriously.

June 1915
Marine Rescue
Second Officer Hugh Owen Davies of the s.s. Armenian received a Silver medal and Certificate of Thanks following the sinking of the vessel by submarine off Trevoise Head on 28th June 1915. Davies bravely dived from the vessel and boarded a drifting boat, by which he picked up and saved about 35 lives.

June 1939
Fire Rescue
A Gold Medal and Certificate was awarded to Police Constable George Dodd and a Certificate to Frederick Mitchell Phillips for having rescued three woman and two children who were trapped in a burning house in Burnley Street, Liverpool, on 22nd June 1939.
No. 18 Burnley Street was occupied by a man named Peters, his wife and their infant son, another woman and her infant son lodged with them.

On the night in question Mrs. Peters had her sister, aged 16, staying with her. Peters, who is on night duty, was away at work. On the night of 21st June they all retired to bed about midnight, Mrs. Peters, her sister and child in the front bedroom on the first floor, the woman lodger in the back bedroom. At about 4:50 a.m. on 22nd June, fire broke out under the stairs which were well alight when the occupants were awakened by the smoke. They all crowded into the front bedroom, and opening the windows, screamed for help.

Constable George Dodd, who was on patrol duty in the neighbourhood, ran in their direction. When he arrived at the house he found it burning furiously and dense volumes of smoke issuing from the windows. Shouting to the crowd, which was gathering to call the Fire Brigade, he broke down the front door and entered the house. He managed to crawl up the burning stairs to the landing, however when he reached the landing the stairs collapsed, thus trapping all those on the first floor. The smoke was so dense that the Constable had to grope his way into the front bedroom guided by the screams of the women.

When he got there he took the sheets off the bed, and with them lowered the two infants, by way of the window, to the crowd on the pavement. He then persuaded the elder woman to jump from the window into a blanket which was being held out stretched by the people below. The other two women were so overcome by smoke and fright that they were in a state of collapse and were unable to jump, so Dodd picked them up one after the other and, holding them at arm’s length through the open window, dropped them into the blanket.

He then made sure that none remained in the house before effecting his own escape, which he did with great difficulty, as he was so overcome by smoke that he was just able to crawl to the window and roll over the sill whence he fell 20 feet to the pavement below, where he lay unconscious. After first aid had been applied he recovered a little and tried to help the Fire Brigade, but again collapsed and had to be taken to hospital where he was detained and treated for shock. Later he developed congestion of the lungs and was ill for a considerable time. The women and children suffered no ill effects. Phillips rendered valuable assistance to the Police while the rescue was being effected.

June 2009
Fire Rescue
A Bronze Fire Medal and Certificate each to Constable Julian Berry of Lancashire Constabulary, Dean Wylie and Paul Diver, for having on five occasions entered a burning and smoke filled house to rescue an unconscious woman who had locked herself in the bedroom and started another fire at Brookfield Road, Thornton Cleveleys on 18th June 2009.

June 2015
General Rescue
Constables Darren McIntyre and Robert Frodsham of Merseyside Police, received a Parchment each for having on 22nd June 2015, prevented a female from causing herself serious injury during a domestic altercation where there was a great deal of blood and broken glass at Hougoumont Avenue, Waterloo.

June 2019
Marine Rescue
A Bronze Marine Medal and Certificate were awarded to Lucy Shaw for her courageous actions in Leasowe Bay on 30th June 2019. Lucy swam out to a stranded male kite boarder who was in difficulty in the water. The recovery was made all the more difficult by the kite board rigging wires, the strong currents and weather conditions.

If you have details of a historical award that you would like to share, we’d love to hear from you. Email us: secretary@liverpoolshipwreckandhumanesoc.org