Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 05 August 1932

Plucky Rescue

Low Valley Youth Who Took a Chance

A story of a young miner’s plucky a drowning child from an old clay pond from Low Valley. The pond, which is 40 feet deep, has a sinister reputation and is shunned even by capable swimmers.

Fred Barnett, George Street Low Valley, was the rescuer, and Thurza Beach, aged 5, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Beach, 12, South View, Darfield, the rescued.

The child with a companion had wandered from home, and her parents were under the impression she had gone to her grandmother, Mrs. Johnson, Snape Hill. Apparently she gone to the clay pit to catch minnows, as the first thing she asked for on recovering from her immersion was her jam jar.

Barnett was going to the cricket match at Mitchell Main early on Monday evening when he noticed a child gesticulating near the clay pond some 900 yards away. He ran to the scene, and was just in time to see the child going down. Barnett is a non-swimmer and knew how treacherous the old pond is, but without hesitation he waded in almost to the armpits. The clay was squelching under his feet and every moment there was danger of a sudden drop. The child had now disappeared but Barnett making a lucky dive with his hand managed to catch hold of her frock, and pulled her to the side. Artificial respiration brought the child round, and she was taken home by Mrs. Johnson.