William H. Belpitt

He kept a man afloat after a canoe capsized in China

William Henry Belpitt earned the Medal of Honor for a rescue at Foochow, China, on October 7, 1884. Serving as captain of the afterguard aboard USS Monocacy, he jumped overboard after a canoe capsized and threw a Chinese man into the water. Belpitt kept the man afloat until both could be picked up.

His award was presented on April 19, 1885, aboard the ship off Shanghai. The rescue belongs to the Navy’s record of Medal of Honor actions performed during peacetime.

Born in Ryde, Australia, on May 3, 1860, Belpitt died on November 30, 1912. He was buried at Rookwood Catholic Cemetery in Australia under the spelling Belphitt, another form of his name.

Medal of Honor citation

On board the U.S.S. Monocacy, Foochow, China, 7 October 1884. Jumping overboard from that vessel on the morning of this date, Belpitt sustained, until picked up, a Chinaman who had been thrown into the water by the capsizing of a canoe.