Kenneth Farrow, who died in Cardiff on Friday aged 82, was awarded the George Cross for his gallantry when as a young policeman he jumped into fast flowing water in an attempt to save a four-year-old boy from drowning in 1948.

Tam Brown, of Tayside Fire Brigade who dived into the River Tay last month to save a drowning woman may be disciplined because he disregarded safety rules when there was “no statutory obligation to carry out rescues from moving water.”

The 42-year old’s actions breach fire service rules which don’t allow firefighters to enter the water to rescue drowning victims.

Both Brown and his watch manager, who agreed he should go in, are the subject of an investigation.

Somewhere between then and now we’ve got our values and priorities all mixed up but, thankfully, rules and regulations are no barriers to heroes.