'They did everything they could': Royal Grammar Schoolboys praised for trying to save tragic water raft victim, Matthew Hitchman

Finn Andrews, from Speen, and Oliver Hall, from Little Kingshill fought to save fellow Wycombe Grammar School boy Matthew Hitchman from drowning when he fell into the rapids from an inflatable white water raft in August last year.

Despite their desperate attempts to rescue him, the pair – along with two other passengers in the raft, one from Ecuador and the other from Sweden - were unable to save Matthew, 17.

Both Finn and Oliver have now been awarded Royal Humane Society Testimonials on Parchment by the Royal Humane Society for their heroism in hurling themselves into the water to rescue him.

Andrew Chapman, secretary of the Royal Humane Society, announced the awards at the Society’s headquarters in London.

He said: “They did all they could to prevent this terrible tragedy and put their own lives on the line.

“They were all in the same raft as it was going down the Jondachi river in Equador on August 6 last year.

“The raft was being buffeted by the fast flowing water and then it hit a bank and a rock. Matthew was thrown into the water and then became pinned under water several metres downstream from the raft.

“The four rescuers all went into the water to try and free him and were themselves swept downstream. All four of them could see before they went into the water how dangerous it was but they didn’t hesitate.

“They richly deserve the awards they are to receive. They did everything the possibly could have done.”

A group of staff and students from the Royal Grammar School had embarked on a month-long trip to the South American country to carry out community work.

The group had just completed a trek to the Northern Andes three weeks into the trip when tragedy struck.

At the time of his death, school headmaster, Philip Wayne, paid an emotional tribute to the “caring and well liked” pupil who will be “sadly missed by all who knew him”.