Medal of Bravery
Awarded on: 1991-04-15
Invested on: 1991-06-21
Stephen Ross Murphy, M.B. (posthumous)
Louis A. Spagnol, M.B.
Medal of Bravery
On January 30, 1989, Louis Spagnol risked his life and Stephen Ross Murphy lost his while attempting to save a fellow diver from drowning in the Welland Canal at St. Catharines, Ontario. While repairing leaks in the stop logs of a weir, the foreman of a team of maintenance divers became trapped and signalled for help. Mr. Murphy immediately dove into the cold, murky water without a lifeline or means of surface communication. When Mr. Murphy did not resurface, Mr. Spagnol entered the weir and quickly found and recovered the foreman, but on locating Mr. Murphy during the ascent, was unable to free him because his feet were caught between the stop logs. During a second dive, Mr. Spagnol secured a line to Mr. Murphy, enabling firemen to free him but Mr. Spagnol's efforts were in vain. Neither Mr. Murphy nor the foreman survived.