A Collection of Boy Scouts Association Gallantry Crosses

A Boy Scouts Association Gallantry Cross Third Class awarded to Sea Scout P. Willin, for Gallantry in attempting to save the life of a Rover Scout from drowning at Ystradfellte, 16 June 1940

Boy Scouts Association Gallantry Cross, 3rd Class, 2nd issue, gilt, the reverse impressed, ‘P. Willin 16-6-40’, with integral top riband bar, in card box of issue, extremely fine £400-£500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Boy Scouts Association Gallantry Crosses.

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Peter Willin, a Sea Scout, along with fellow Sea Scout Dennis Davey, were both awarded the Boy Scouts Association Gallantry Cross 3rd Class on 1 January 1941, for their gallantry in attempting to save a Rover Scout named Evans, from drowning at Ystradfellte, S. Powys, on 16 June 1940.

An extract from The Recorder, of 27 June 1940 reported:
‘Heroic attempts by two Ilford County High School Boys to rescue an Aberdare boy from a dangerous mountain pool and their efforts to recover the body are described by a “Recorder” correspondent with the school at Aberdare, South Wales.
The boys are Peter Willin and Dennis Davey, both fifteen years of age, and pupils at the Ilford County High School. They were members ... of a weekend Scout camp near Penderyn Falls, a local beauty spot, and Evans, the boy who was drowned, was clambering down the bank to get a closer look at the pool below, when he suddenly fell in.
“I jumped from another ledge into the water,” said Willin, describing the incident to me. “The rest of the party had seen the accident and were hurrying down the bank, but it took them some time to reach us. Evans had gone under, probably due to the gum-boots he was wearing.”
Davey, mentioning that the pool was very dangerous, as a stream poured into it from a mountain-side gully, added, “A chain of Scout belts was made and Peter, stripped to the waist and with his shoes removed, held these in his hand and dived with the hope of locating the body. We took in turns to do this.”
Willin then went on to explain. “I dived in three times in all, the third time with a rope of clothes around my waist as the Scout belts were unsafe. Dennis dived twice, but neither of us could find Evans.” ...
Of Davey and Willin, the coroner remarked, “They showed promptitude and presence of mind in their most brave attempt to recover Evans’ body from a very dangerous pool.”’

Willin was born in Ilford, Essex, on 5 September 1924. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force on 1 October 1943 and trained as a wireless mechanic. He served during the Second World War in the Middle East, being posted to Egypt on 25 November 1944 with the 3rd Signals Depot, then 216 Group. On 14 March 1945 he was posted to Army Middle East Signals School, then to Aboukir (107MU) and finally El Hamma in April 1947. Attaining the rank of AC1, he was released from service on 7 February 1948, and died at Rugby in December 1990.