May 2025: St John’s Ambulance Association Gold Medal
May’s Object of the is a St John Ambulance Association Gold Medal which is on display in our current special exhibition Is it Safe?
This medal was awarded to George Stanley Johns, a yard foreman at Truro Station. It is the highest award for gallantry issued by the St John Ambulance Association. In 1943, Mr Johns saved the life of a goods guard whose legs had been severed by a wagon. Mr Johns applied pressure to the tops of the guard’s legs until the ambulance arrived, and throughout the journey to hospital. The doctor who attended the guard in hospital said he would have died had it not been for Mr Johns’ quick thinking.
George Johns
Railways could be dangerous places, for both staff and travellers. In 1906 there were over 1,500 accidents involving GWR employees. The St John Ambulance Association was founded in 1877. It was set up to provide first aid training for workers in the railway and mining districts in England, equipping employees with the knowledge to provide lifesaving first aid to the injured.
Newspaper clipping describing the event.
The Great Western Railway’s official partnership with the St John Ambulance began in the late 1880s. Several dedicated GWR branches were established around the network to help train employees in first aid. Men were able to attend classes and lectures each week. Examinations were held, with certificates and medallions given out to those who passed. Competitions were also held locally and between regional branches, and awards were given out to employees such as George Johns, who provided lifesaving first aid in an emergency.
There are just a few more weeks left to visit Is it Safe? which closes on Sunday 15th June.
