Two Thames boat skippers are to receive a national bravery award after pulling a man from the river near Westminster Bridge.
Charles Maynard, from Sevenoaks, was driving a Thames river boat on Wednesday, 18 February, when he spotted someone jump from Westminster Bridge. He alerted his colleague, Ian Davis, from Eltham, who quickly boarded another vessel and used a boat hook to reach the man in the water.
In the meantime, Charles jumped onto the nearby Westminster Pier, ran along it and joined Ian. The pair pulled the man from the water — risking being swept into the Thames themselves — and kept him warm and conscious until emergency services arrived.
Both men are to receive Royal Humane Society Testimonials on Parchment in recognition of their life-saving actions.
Andrew Chapman, secretary of the Royal Humane Society, said: “Thankfully Mr Maynard was on the spot, saw the man hit the water and was able to immediately alert his colleague and then join him so that together they could get the man to safety.
“They did a superb job and put themselves in danger of being pulled into river at the same time. They richly deserve the awards they are to receive.”
Mr Chapman added that many life-saving acts go unrecognised because the people involved are never put forward, and appealed to the public to bring such cases to the society’s attention.
The Royal Humane Society has honoured acts of life-saving bravery for nearly 250 years. Founded in 1774 by medical pioneers William Hawes and Thomas Cogan, it began by promoting resuscitation techniques before expanding to recognise people who risk their own lives to save others. Since its founding, it has considered more than 90,000 cases and made over 220,000 awards.
When life is difficult, Samaritans are here to listen — day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org.
