Oswestry police officers awarded Royal Humane Society Certificates

Five Oswestry police and a Canadian visitor have been awarded top national honours after a battle to save a 71-year-old canal boat enthusiast who fell into the canal at Ellesmere last year.

The incident happened on the evening of 14 September as the man was returning from an evening stroll during which he had bought fish and chips and a bottle of wine for him and his wife to enjoy on their canal boat.

Somehow he fell into the water near their boat which was moored at Wharf Road, Ellesmere, and his wife heard him call for help. He had broken his neck in the fall and when she rushed to help she found him lying face down in the water. She raised the alarm and then fought to hold her husband’s head above water with a boat hook.

Canadian Doug Yelland was first to arrive at the scene and led the struggle to pull the drowning man from the water with two other unknown men, they pulled him from the water and on to the towpath. Mr Yelland loosened his clothing and put him in the recovery position.

PCSOs Hogg and Walker were the first police to arrive at which point the man stopped breathing and PCSO Hogg began administering CPR.

The other officers then arrived and while PCSO Hogg ran to a nearby store to fetch a defibrillator they took it in turns to administer CPR for around 30 minutes before paramedics reached the scene.

Sadly the man died in hospital six days after the incident but the Royal Humane Society has recognised their efforts with certificates.

Doug Yelland has been awarded a Certificate of Commendation by the Royal Humane Society. PCs Benjamin Francis, Kate Le’Clere, Kimberley Morris and PCSOs Kerry Hogg and Tracey Walker, have all been awarded Royal Humane Society Resuscitation Certificates for their fight using cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to bring the man back from the brink of death after he stopped breathing.

In addition to the certificates, they also gained the praise of Andrew Chapman, Secretary of the Royal Humane Society.

“This was a horrific incident,” he said. “No-one knows what caused the man to fall in the canal. It was an appallingly tragic end for this couple’s canal cruise.

“Everybody involved did a magnificent job, firstly in pulling the man from the water and then the police in managing to resuscitate him. Sadly he died six days later but at least there was time for his family to gather around him and say their last farewells.

“All the awards winners did their very best to save him though and they richly deserve the awards they are to receive.”