Star of Courage

• Awarded on: September 11, 1978
• Invested on: March 09, 1979

William Dixon saved the life of a man whose single-engine airplane crashed some hundred yards from Mr. Dixon's home on 23 November 1977. On hearing the crash Mr. Dixon had raced to the wreckage and found the pilot lying in the cockpit. He was preparing to drag him free when the aircraft exploded and he was thrown under the wing. Getting at once to his feet, he returned to the pilot and pulled him out of the cockpit, which by now was engulfed in flames. A second explosion knocked both men into a puddle, but Mr. Dixon undeterred, seized the victim once more. They struggled through marshes and reached the rescuer's house where they were both given first aid before being taken to hospital.