Medal of Bravery

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

RCMP Constable Howard William Geldart, M.B.
Bryan D. Maillet, M.B., Moncton, N.B.
RCMP Constable Barry John Mellish, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

During freezing conditions on December 15, 1974, Bryan Maillet, along with RCMP Constables Barry Mellish and Howard Geldart, saved the life of a three-year-old girl and attempted to rescue the child's mother from inside a van which had plunged onto Folly Lake near Truro, Nova Scotia. Among the four occupants of the vehicle which skidded off the road and plummeted into twelve feet of water, were the girl and her grandmother, who were thrown free. The driver managed to return ashore but his wife failed to escape in time. When he stopped at the scene, seconds following the mishap, Mr. Maillet assisted the elderly woman up the embankment and then removed his clothing to swim to the youngster who was floating some fifteen feet offshore. Enduring the bitter cold, the rescuer towed the child to safety and then covered her with a blanket. At that point, Cst. Mellish arrived and promptly dove underwater to enter the submerged vehicle through its rear doors but the access was blocked by a large deep freeze. Repeating his efforts, the Cst. reached for the woman through a side window, but still to no avail. Almost overcome by the cold, Cst. Mellish returned ashore and advised Cst. Geldart of the situation. Also defiant of the perils, the latter searched the van until suffering severe numbness and then succeeded in attaching a rope to the vehicle. When the truck was finally raised from the lake, the woman was removed from inside but sadly, could not be revived.