While he was a constable serving with the Cardiff City Police, Kenneth Farrow made a desperate and prolonged attempt to save the life of a drowning child, narrowly escaping with his own. He was not a strong swimmer and the circumstances were exceptionally hazardous.

He was on patrol during the early evening of June 21, 1948, when a group of people ran up to him in a state of alarm shouting that a child had fallen into the “Feeder” at Pembroke Terrace. The Feeder is an aquaduct supplying water from the River Taff to Cardiff Docks. It runs for most of its length under concrete slabs but was open at the point where the child had fallen in.

The speed of the current that evening was approximately six miles per hour, and the water was black with silt from the Taff. The headroom below the concrete covers sloped from two feet at the open point to less than six inches further downstream towards the docks.

There was no sign of the child when Farrow reached the open access to the Feeder, but he stripped off his uniform and boots and jumped in. Because of the depth of soft silt on the floor of the Feeder he found it impossible to stand with his head clear of the surface, so he swam 180 yards downstream beneath the rapidly reducing headroom of the concrete cover in search of the child. No light reached that point of the Feeder and there was still no sign of the child or cries from farther downstream. The water level at this point was a bare six inches from the roof.

Farrow had been in the water for about 15 minutes by this time and, recognising the hopelessness of venturing farther down, he began to try to make his way back to the open section of the Feeder. The current was against him and the roof was slimy with the passage of water over many years. The only fingerholds he could find were where the concrete slabs of the roof fitted together and at a few points where they had been damaged. He finally reached the open air exhausted and distressed that he did so alone.

The body of the child was later recovered. Constable Farrow’ s gallantry and determination were commended by the coroner, especially in view of the fact that the risks of entering the Feeder were readily apparent and could have deterred the strongest swimmer. He was also highly praised by the witnesses to his action and, in consequence, he was awarded the Albert Medal in October 1948.

This award had been instituted in 1867 — and named after Albert, Prince Consort to Queen Victoria — to recognise the gallantry of those responsible for saving life at sea. The conditions were broadened ten years later to provide for the medal to be awarded for civilian gallantry on land. Farrow received his award from King George VI at Buckingham Palace in 1948.

As a result of a later rationalisation of civilian awards for bravery in 1971, all surviving holders of the Albert Medal were authorised to exchange their awards for the George Cross. This decoration, which ranks second only to the Victoria Cross, had been introduced at the suggestion of King George VI in 1940, shortly after the onset of air attacks on London and other cities and ports, for award to civilians for “acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger”. Thus Farrow, who had just retired from the Cardiff City Police with the rank of sergeant, made a second visit to the Palace to be invested with the George Cross on November 30, 1972.

Kenneth Farrow was born in Sedgefield, Co Durham, in 1924, the only son of William and Christina Farrow. He was educated at St Michael’s School, Buckingham Palace Road, after his parents moved to London.

He joined the RAF in 1942 and served as a flight sergeant air gunner with No 218 (Lancaster bomber) Squadron operating from Suffolk on missions over northwest Europe. During his war service he met and married Joan, who came from Cardiff.

He joined the Cardiff City Police, later the South Wales Constabulary, in 1947 and was for several years a road safety officer with the force. On retirement in 1972 he joined the traffic management section of Glamorgan County Council.

In addition to the Albert Medal (and later the George Cross) he received the certificate of the Carnegie Hero Trust and the Police Exemplary Service Medal.

Farrow is survived by his wife and son.

Police Sergeant Kenneth Farrow, GC, was born on May 29, 1924. He died on March 30, 2007, aged 82