Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: January 19, 1976
• Invested on: February 16, 1976

RCMP Constable Harry Alexander Reid, S.C.
Star of Courage
RCMP Constable Joseph Adrien Bernard Pilotte, M.B., Saskville, N.B.
Russell Harry Stewart, M.B., Old Barns, N.S.
Medal of Bravery

RCMP Cst. Harry Reid with the assistance of RCMP Cst. Bernard Pilotte and Mr. Russell Stewart saved two men from the wreckage of their tractor-trailer which burst into flames, following a highway accident at Gaytons, New Brunswick, on August 30, 1974. The vehicle collided with an oil tanker whose driver had swung out of his lane to avoid smashing into the rear of a car which had stopped suddenly on the road. The tractor-trailer crashed through a guard rail and rolled into a ditch. When found by the RCMP constables, who were driving closely behind at the time, the two men were unconscious and trapped between the seat and the dashboard. On his own, Cst. Reid braved the intense heat and smoke to free one man and dragged him several feet from the cab. Returning then to the other victim, Cst. Reid was joined by Cst. Pilotte and Mr. Stewart and together they freed the second victim as fire was rapidly spreading into the cab. Shortly thereafter, the gas tanks exploded and the vehicle was engulfed in flames.