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Master Corporal Alexander John Sheppard

Borden, Ontario

Decorations for Bravery

  • Medal of Bravery

    Awarded on: 1976-10-18
    Invested on: 1977-02-11
    MCpl. Alexander Sheppard, of Canadian Forces Base Borden, swam to the aid of a colleague who had got into difficulty while swimming beyond a breakwater at Balm Beach, Ontario, on 13 August 1975. The man suffered a cramp in his leg some hundred yards from shore. On reaching him MCpl. Sheppard held him up for a considerable time but became exhausted because of an undertow and had to return to shore alone. Meanwhile others on shore had launched rubber dinghies. While the victim was supported between these craft and being brought in, MCpl. Sheppard dived in a second time to ensure a successful rescue operation.