THE SCOUT ASSOCIATION’S SILVER CROSS

A rare silver medal for gallantry presented to a Wroxham boy scout by Lord Baden-Powell is to go under the hammer at a Norfolk auction house.

The Scout Association’s Silver Cross was presented to patrol leader Jack Howes, of the 1st Wroxham Scout Group, in August 1928 for ‘Gallant Attempt to Rescue a Young Man from Drowning in the River Bure’.

The medal is set to be auctioned on Tuesday at Keys Fine Art Auctioneers in Aylsham and it is estimated to be worth between £500 and £600.

It was presented to Jack Howes by the founder of the Scout movement, who was said to be a regular visitor to Wroxham and enjoy sailing on Wroxham Broad with his friend Colonel Charles, after whom Charles Close in the village is named.

An article about 15-year-old Jack’s rescue attempt, published in the Norwich Mercury on August 4 1928, told of how the then coroner, Mr Coroner Barnard, praised Jack, also known as John Henry, of Platten’s Yard, Lower Wroxham, for attempting to rescue 20-year-old Edgar William Palmer, a butcher’s assistant from Foulsham.

The two had been swimming in the River Bure at the Cane Meadow. They swam across the river together but Edgar got into difficulties as they swam back.

Jack had tried to swim with him back to the bank, and Jack’s brother also fetched a boat to help but they were unable to save Edgar despite their best efforts.

The newspaper reported that ‘the Coroner recorded a verdict of accidental drowning, through having got into difficulties whilst bathing’.

To read the complete article, see: Rare medal presented to Wroxham boy scout by Lord Baden-Powell to be auctioned (www.edp24.co.uk/news/rare_medal_presented
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Wayne Homren, Editor

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