MR R. T. DONOGHUE GC, WHO WAS POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE GEORGE CROSS FOR HIS GALLANT BEHAVIOUR AS ...

MR R. T. DONOGHUE GC, WHO WAS POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE GEORGE CROSS FOR HIS GALLANT BEHAVIOUR AS A TRAM CONDUCTOR AT HOBART, TASMANIA, ON THE 1960-04-29, WHERE AS A RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT, THE TRAM BECAME OUT OF CONTROL AND STARTED TO RUN BACKWARDS RAPIDLY GAINING SPEED ON A STEEP HILL. REALISING THE DANGER IN THE DENSE PEAK PERIOD TRAFFIC, HE DELIBERATELY SCORNED THE WAY TO SAFETY BY EITHER LEAVING THE TRAM OR BY PASSING INTO THE REAR COMPARTMENT TO WHICH HE HAD MOVED THE PASSENGERS, BY CONTINUOUS RINGING OF THE BELL TO WARN OTHER TRAFFIC WHILE ATTEMPTING BY THE USE OF THE BRAKE TO SLOW THE TRAM DOWN. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL THE RUNAWAY TRAM COLLIDED WITH A STATIONARY TRAM AND DONOGHUE, STILL AT HIS POST AT THE MOMENT OF IMPACT, WAS KILLED. BY SACRIFICING HIS LIFE DONOGHUE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SAVING THE LIVES OF A NUMBER OF OTHER PERSONS.