Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The rare International Award of Valour in Sport awarded to Norman Croucher, a British mountain climber and double amputee

International Award of Valour in Sport, by Garrard, London, 18ct. gold wreath, hallmarks for London 1979, approx 42g, 74mm x 100mm, reverse of suspension inscribed, ‘Norman Croucher’, with ribbon for neck wear, in its Garrard, London case of issue, extremely fine £700-£900

Norman Croucher was born in 1941 and educated at Redruth Grammar School. Both of his legs were severed below the knee in a railway accident in 1960. He subsequently trained as a teacher. His love of adventure, on mountains in particular, was not curtailed by his dreadful injuries, and with two prosthetic legs he pursued this love of mountaineering in spite of his disability.

In 1969 he became the first person with two artificial legs to walk the 900 miles from John O’Groats to Lands End. Six months after this gruelling walk, he climbed the Jungfrau and Moönch mountains in Switzerland. In 1972 he climbed the west flank of the Eiger Mountain and in 1974 he climbed the Matterhorn. In 1978 he led a successful expedition to the Peruvian Andes and climbed his first Himalayan peak in 1981. The following year he climbed the Muztagh Ata in China. In later expeditions he climbed Mounts Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Cotopaxi in Ecuador and Elburs in Russia.

As a result of his inspirational life and motivational speaking, Croucher was recognised by his country and peers. In 1977 he was awarded the O.B.E. for his voluntary work with the disabled. In 1971 and again in 1978 he was voted the Association of Disability and Rehabilitation ‘Man of the Year’. In May 1976 he was the subject of the television programme, ‘This is Your Life’. In 1979 he was chosen from 54 nominees from 121 countries as the third person to be awarded the ‘International Award of Valour in Sport’.

Latterly suffering from cancer, he passed away peacefully on 21 December 2011.

With International Awards for Valour in Sport booklet giving details of the award; together with two association luncheon and presentation booklets for 22 February 1979 and 5 February 1980. The two previous winners of the award were racing driver Niki Lauda in 1977 and polar explorer Naomi Uemura in 1978. The hang glider Jean-Marc Boivin was awarded the prize in 1980; Croucher, as a previous winner, was one of the presentation team for that year.