William Henry Belpitt (1860–1912)
William Belpitt, n.d.
William Henry Belpitt (1860-1912) served in the United States Navy. By 7 October 7 1884 he was captain of the Afterguard on the USS Monocacy. On that morning, while Monocacy was at Fuzhou, China, he jumped overboard and rescued a Chinese man whose canoe had capsized. For that action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States military's highest decoration. The citation reads:
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.
Belpitt later returned to Australia. He married Minnie Gould on 20 January 1889; they had one child.
Belpitt died on 29 November 1912 at Rookwood, New South Wales, and was buried at Rookwood Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria on 2 December 1912.
Additional Resources and Scholarship
- reminisces, Sydney Morning Herald, 21 August 1908, p 12
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Bulpit, Catherine (mother)
- Bulpit, John (father)
- Belpitt, John Charles (brother)
- Bulpitt, Charles (uncle)
- Bulpit, Mary (cousin)
Citation details
'Belpitt, William Henry (1860–1912)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/belpitt-william-henry-32244/text39893, accessed 27 April 2025.
William Belpitt, n.d.
Life Summary [details]
Alternative Names
- Belpit, William Henry
- Bulpitt, William Henry
- Bulpit, William Henry
Birth
3 May,
1860
Ryde, Sydney,
New South Wales,
Australia
Death
29 November,
1912
(aged 52)
Granville, Sydney,
New South Wales,
Australia
Cultural Heritage
Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.
Religious Influence
Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.