Constable John George SAMUEL (22)
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PC Samuel died when he was drowned during a recue attempt whilst off duty.
PC John George Samuel of Broughty Ferry Burgh Police was a bright young officer and served as Chief Constable Sempill’s Clerk. He was highly thought of by his colleagues although he had only been with the force since the previous September.
On Sunday 28th of May 1911 he was off duty, with a friend and colleague PC John Christie and a group of others at the beach on the Esplanade, east of the castle. The weather was fine and the group took to the water, although Samuel was a poor swimmer by all accounts.
As they dressed after their swim it was noticed that PC Christie was not with the group. It quickly became apparent he was still in the water and was in some difficulty, the currents at that end of the beach being notorious.
Although a poor swimmer, Samuel grabbed a life belt and immediately entered the water in an attempt to rescue his colleague. He was joined by another of the group, John Chisholm, a strong swimmer and extremely fit ex-soldier who lodged at the same address as Samuel.
It would appear that the rope on the lifebelt was too short, but PC Samuel continued on until out of his depth in an attempt to rescue Christie, but he was soon overcome by the same treacherous tides which had carried off his friend.
Christie and Chisholm somehow managed to get back to shore but by now Samuel was in terrible danger. Both men re-entered the water to try and effect a rescue, even though Christie was effectively by his own ordeal.
The group mounted an all-out attempt to save PC Samuel but were unable to bring him ashore and he soon disappeared from view.
They managed to commandeer a boat and began a search for PC Samuel, finding his body some 30 minutes later, when all attempts at resuscitation failed. Chisholm was so exhausted he had to be carried to his lodgings where he required the attentions of the local doctor.
PC John George Samuel was 23 and a native of Peterhead, where his parents still lived. By his actions he effectively recalled himself to duty and as such his name is etched on the Scottish Police Memorial and will never be forgotten.
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'On duty' includes travelling directly to or from a station of report or recall to duty (either by identification or action, e.g. intervention in an ongoing incident or attempting a rescue).
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