Sussex student hailed a 'hero' after saving friend's life in pool drama

Harry John Baker, 23, from Pulborough, has been awarded a top honour in this country – as well as one in America.

Harry has been honoured with a Royal Humane Society Resuscitation Certificate for his life and death fight to drag his friend from the bottom of the pool to safety and then to resuscitate him.

The award follows an earlier honour in America – a Milwaukee Marquette Police Dept Citizens Life Saving Award. Harry’s brave actions happened after an incident at a pool at a private house in Panama City Beach, Florida, on the evening of March 11 last year.

Harry, who is a track and field athletic student at Marquette University, Milwaukee, spotted something at the bottom of the pool, realised it was a person lying on the bottom and dived in to investigate.

There he found the lifeless body of one of his friends, hauled him to the surface, and then with the help of another friend pulled him out of the pool and began to administer cardiac pulmonary resuscitation.

He then realised that the friend had swallowed his tongue and he quickly cleared his friend’s airways and continued with the CPR – which eventually worked and the friend was rushed to hospital where he went on to make a full recovery.

Andrew Chapman, secretary of the Royal Humane Society, said: “If Harry had not acted as he did as quickly as he did then there is no doubt that his friend would not have survived.

"He did a superb job, first in spotting his friend at the bottom of the pool, then by dragging him to the surface and then in resuscitating him.

“His friend undoubtedly owes his life to him and Harry richly deserves the award he is to receive. He was without question the right person in the right place at the right time.”

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The roots of the Royal Humane Society stretch back nearly 250 years. Other than awards made by the Crown it is the premier national body for honouring bravery in the saving of human life.