April 29, 1955

A 19-year-old Redditch merchant seaman last week received the Bronze Medal of the Royal Humane Society for diving into shark-infested waters in the Pacific Ocean and rescuing one of six Korean fishermen who were in distress.

The presentation of the award was made to Cadet EP Hampton, of West Avenue, Redditch, by Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Bowhill on board HMS Wellington, headquarters of the Master Mariners, last Thursday.

In a letter to his mother shortly after the incident, he wrote: "It was on a cold July morning in the Pacific at 12.30am when we sighted a fishing boat on which were six cheering sailors.

"We threw out a life buoy with a light on it and one of the men swam to it.

"These waters off Japan were shark infested and we didn't have much hope for him. He reached the buoy, however, and then swam towards our ship."

He went on to say three more of the sailors, who were Koreans, then swam to the ship but one was too exhausted and clung to some flotsam about 100 yards away.

He continues: "I think I was the strongest swimmer so I stripped and was in the water in a minute. I forgot about sharks and kept swimming to the man and we lifted him aboard."

The two remaining men were eventually also saved.

The captain later sent for Mr Hampton and told him never to near "shark-water" again.

He then congratulated him and said that his action would not go unmentioned.