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Captain Webb Medal

Captain Matthew Webb was born at Dawley, Telford, in Shropshire

 

Webb was the first person to swim the English Channel. In 1875, he swam from Dover to Calais in less than 22 hours.

 

The Captain Webb medal was established in his honour by the Shropshire Society in London, to "recognise examples of extreme courage in saving life" by people in the county.

Rifleman Benjamin Taylor saved nine of his fellow personnel from a submerged troop carrier.

In 2009 bomb disposal expert Warrant Officer Hughes cleared a minefield, without protective clothing, to allow wounded soldiers to be rescued.

The Ministry of Defence described the act as "the single most outstanding act of explosive ordnance disposal ever recorded in Afghanistan."

Serving with 4th Battalion, The Rifles, Corporal Ferguson was awarded the Military Cross for rescuing wounded colleagues in four separate incidents in 2009.

In January 2010 Corporal Ferguson lost both legs and an eye in a bomb blast.

In the early hours of 4 April 2022 William Mowbray was walking home with Molly Marr when they heard cries of help from the River Severn, Shrewsbury.   Risking his own life, William dived into the river and rescued Dan Walker, an act which involved holding Mr Walker’s head above water for 30-40 minutes before the emergency services arrived.

Captain Webb medal

Recipients


1916 William Carpenter (Ludlow)
          Joseph Jenks (Shrewsbury)

 

1917 John Tristam (Ironbridge)

 

1920 Joseph Phillips (Ludlow)

 

1923 John Bennett (Shrewsbury)

 

1924 E.F. Gethin (Shrewsbury)

 

1928 Arthur Williams (Ludlow)

 

1930 G.W. Leith (Bridgnorth)

          W. Marsh (Ludlow)

 

1946 H. Perry (Ditherington, near Shrewsbury)

 

2008 Police Constable Richard Gray (Shrewsbury)

[Posthumous]

 

2011 Warrant Office Class 2 Kim Hughes GC (Telford)
          Corporal Ricky Ferguson MC (Telford)

 

2014 Rifleman Benjamin Taylor QGM (Shrewsbury)

2023 William Mowbray (Shrewsbury)

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