Star of Courage

• Awarded on: April 13, 1982
• Invested on: June 29, 1982

In the early hours of 30 January 1981, James Wadden awakened to cries that his neighbour's house was on fire. At once he made an attempt to reach by the staircase the basement bedroom where the man was sleeping, but thick smoke forced him to retreat. Undaunted in spite of an extremely hazardous situation he rushed to the back of the house, broke the window of the man's bedroom, entered and found him unconscious. When he had brought him to the window, he climbed out to ask for help, re-entered and helped the victim up while his companion helped from the outside. Unfortunately the efforts to revive the victim were in vain.