Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: January 3, 1975
• Invested on: February 16, 1976

On December 3, 1972, when his neighbour's four-year-old son fell through the ice on Lake Couchiching near Orillia, Ontario, Edwin Simcoe was summoned by the child's mother. As the two made their way cautiously out on the ice, the child's elder brother rushed passed them and broke through the frozen surface. Disregarding the danger, Mr. Simcoe, who cannot swim, removed his jacket and extended it to the youth. When he had pulled the older boy from the water the rescuer then pushed a canoe out over the ice and climbed into it to search the area where the younger child had last been seen. The boy was found and with to help of a police constable who had arrived on the scene, artificial respiration was applied. Mr. Simcoe's courageous effort was in vain as the boy could not be revived.