A SCHOOLBOY disobeyed his father in a bid to rescue four people trapped in a sinking canal barge.

David Grimm, then 15, dived into the water after the Drum Major sank in Stegneck Lock, near Gargrave, more than 14 months ago.

Sadly his efforts were in vain, but this week he was one of five people honoured for their heroic efforts by the Royal Humane Society.

He and his father, Stephen, received testimonials on vellum, while lockkeeper Stephen Rawson and firefighters Eddie Atkinson and Stephen Barrett received testimonials on parchment.

North Yorkshire's police chief David Kenworthy told guests: "As chief constable, sometimes it can be easy to deal with the extraordinary as the ordinary.

"We are blase about extra-ordinary feats of courage by our own members of staff, but the great leveller is when members of the public become involved in incidents in a way that frankly leaves me speechless."

The gathering heard that David and his father had swum into the submerged boat to try to rescue those trapped. They were later joined by Mr Rawson, and the two firefighters.

"All the rescuers showed extreme bravery in hazardous and life-threatening conditions," read the citation.

Area commander Supt Andy Parker also read a letter of thanks from Jean Brady, the sister of victim John McGill.

She thanked the rescuers for their efforts, and said she knew that everything possible had been done to save her brother and his friends.

Speaking after the ceremony, Mr Grimm said he had told his son not to go into the water because he feared for his safety.

"He is young and headstrong, and behaved as you would expect a 15-year-old to do. He learned a lesson - he thought he was going into to save people, but it was miles too late to do anything.

"I am pleased he was willing to put himself at risk. My only regret is that I did not act quickly enough. The one person in the whole incident who could have done something more was me."

But firefighter Eddie Atkinson was full of praise for the rescuers. "The real heroes were the civilians," he declared.

And Mr Rawson paid tribute to his waterways colleagues Billy Stephens, Martin Taylor and Barry Farrar who, he said, had also assisted with the rescue.

o A Steeton woman was also honoured at the ceremony for her lifesaving actions in a separate drama at Bolton Abbey.

Shona Cole, of Ings Road, received a Royal Humane Society resuscitation certificate for saving the life of Hilda Curtis who had fallen from her wheelchair and stopped breathing.

Mrs Cole, who had completed a first aid course just three weeks earlier, gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and stayed with her until the emergency services arrived.

"I think everyone should learn first aid and I'm proud to have been given this award," she said.

Mrs Curtis, who lives in Bury, was present at the ceremony.

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