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Mr. James Oliver Battersby

Salmon Arm, British Columbia

Decorations for Bravery

  • Medal of Bravery

    Awarded on: 1986-09-29
    Invested on: 1987-03-06
    James Oliver Battersby, M.B. Terrance John Cumpstone, M.B. Laurence Harold Hill, M.B. Lawrence William Read, M.B. Arthur Donald Schwandt, M.B. Medal of Bravery On 13 June 1984, the Trans-Canada Highway was the scene of a motor vehicle accident and the subsequent explosion of a burning propane tanker truck. Despite the obvious risks, Messrs. Battersby, Cumpstone, Hill, Read and Schwandt did not hesitate to join a team of rescuers and render assistance to a couple trapped in a pick-up truck. While Messrs. Cumpstone and Battersby drove one victim to hospital, Messrs. Hill, Read and Schwandt continued their efforts to free the badly mangled driver, tangled in the wreckage of his vehicle. Just as they pulled the man out, the anticipated explosion enveloped the highway in an enormous fireball injuring twenty-three rescuers and bystanders.