Decorations & Gallantry Medals >
Canada, Royal Canadian Humane Association, Bronze Medal awarded to a 12 year old Girl for saving 2 friends at Corunna, Ontario in 1935.
Canada, Royal Canadian Humane Association, Bronze Medal awarded to a 12 year old Girl for saving 2 friends at Corunna, Ontario in 1935.
Canada, Royal Canadian Humane Association, Bronze Medal awarded to a 12 year old Girl for saving 2 friends at Corunna, Ontario in 1935.
Rev. engraved "Donna Sutton Corunna, Ont, Sept. 13, 1934", size 34.7 mm, with suspension ring and ornate 'Bravery' riband brooch,
Good very fine. With a related Royal Life Saving Society award of Merit to J.L. Sutton 1939.
Donna Sutton was a 12 year old girl when she saved two of her friends, Helen and Marion Ulrick in the St. Clair River off Corunna on 13th September 1934.
With copies of article in The Windsor Star 14th September 1934 headline "Donna Sutton is Heroine". SARNIA, Sept. 14 - A heroic rescue by a 12-year-old girl last night prevented a double tragedy in the St. Clair river off Corunna. The youthful rescuer dived into deep water and brought to safety two younger playmates, who had toppled overboard from a rowboat. A further article from July 8th 1935 gives details of the rescue from Donna herself "It was after school, and I went swimming." She began the second time."After I got out of the water, Marion and Helen were playing around a boat. I told them they should be careful. Marion is ten and Helen is nine.
"Then, when I wasn't looking, the boat drifted out to the end of the dock. Marion was afraid and she jumped out by a post. Then Helen saw the boat was going out into deep water, and she got scared and jumped out, too."I had my clothes on. I went in after Marion. She was in water that wasn't over my head, although it was too deep for her. I was able to walk in with her. But Helen was out over my head.Then I swam out and got hold of Helen. She pulled my hair and held onto my left shoulder and put her legs around my waist. So I pushed her head under water so she wouldn't do that anymore.
When I got to the dock with Helen I was too weak to get up on the dock myself. I heard both of the girls say "Don't drown Donna. Don't drown Donna." The two girls Donna rescued are daughters of Harry Ullrich, principal of Corunna Public School. Villagers said that when they arrived on the scene after the two girls were brought to shore, Donna had collapsed from exhaustion and was lying unconscious on the beach. Artificial respiration was immediately applied, and by the time Dr. L.R. Aitken , of Courtright, arrived, Donna was sitting up. Mrs Sutton told The Star that Donna had suffered from a nervous condition prior to that, but her condition became worse after her experience last fall.