With Pleasure and With Pride (picture)

February 1967

South Yorkshire Times, February  4, 1967

With Pleasure and With Pride

“It is with pleasure and pride that I am standing in the presence of three brave men”, Mr S. T. Firth, chairman of Doncaster West Riding Magistrates, told three men who receive Royal Humane Society’s Testimonials on Tuesday.

Mr Firth was talking of Mr Harold Desmond Harvey (26), 3, Ferry Villas, Low Road Conisbrough, Mr Trevor Harvey, his brother, aged 20, of 4, March Vale Terrace, Conisbrough, and Mr Jack Storer, 40, formerly of 47, HirstGate, Mexborough, and now of 81, Short Street, Heaton Norris, Stockport.

Thoughtful courage

Mr Firth said, “it gives me considerable pleasure as chairman of the bench to have this pleasing task to perform. Much of our time is spent dealing with the baser side of human nature – the foolish, careless and unhappy side. Here there is some measure of unhappiness, in that two men lost their lives, but there was thoughtful courage and the actions of these three men: they knew the extent of the danger, measured it, and acted with skill and with wise judgement, I offer my congratulations and with a sense of pride that we have men of this quality and calibre in this area.”

Mr Harvey received an electric shock as he did so. In the meantime, Mr, Harold Harvey pushed Mr Hardy away from the crane with a plank of wood, at considerable danger to himself as the crane was still “life,” he then saw his brother at the back of the crane and pulled him clear. He applied mouth-to-mouth resuscitation but failed to revive him.

In recognition

“All these three men acted with great courage and determination in a most dangerous situation, endangered their own lives as they went to the rescue,” said the Chief inspector. “It is in recognition of their gallantry at this terrible accident that the Royal Humane Society has awarded these testimonials.

Unanimous

Mr Firth said the awards were made only after careful enquiry. At a meeting of the committee of the Society in August it was received unamiously that the men should receive the testimonials.

“It is a privilege to hand the certificates over,” he added.

Chief Inspector C. J. Paine said that at about 11:30 AM on May 24, 1966, Mr Graham William Hardy, of 3, Wentworth Street, Rotherham, and Mr Philip Gibson Harvey, of 36, Grenfell Road. Balby, both lost their lives when the jape of the crane on which they were working at Harvey’s Ltd., Denaby Lane, Denaby, came into contact with overhead electricity wires and a heavy electric current passed through the crane.

Quickly there

Harold Desmond Harvey,Trevor Harvey (both brothers of Philip Gibson Harvey, who died) and Jack Storer, were on the scene quickly, he said, Mr Storer attempted to rescue Mr Hardy and received a severe shock . Mr Trevor Harvey saw Mr Storer come into contact with the metal part of the crane and endangered himself in diving at Mr Storer to pull him away