Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Boy Scouts Association Gallantry Cross, 3rd Class, gilt, 2nd issue, by Collins, London, reverse inscribed, ‘P. Willin, 16-6-40’, with brooch bar, in card box of issue, extremely fine £600-800

Sea Scouts Dennis Davey and Peter Willin, of the St. Elvan’s, Aberdare Group, were each awarded the Boy Scouts Association Gallantry Cross 3rd Class on 1 January 1941, for their gallantry in attempting to save a Rover Scout from drowning at Ystradfellte 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.”

Davy, 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 this hand and dived with the hope of locating the body. We took 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.”’

With a newspaper cutting; another copied newspaper extract; and copied Scout records including a photocopied photograph of the two boys.