Brave Girl Gets Award

Nine-year-old Rosetta Annetts was a hero.

On Nov. 17, 1928, she was at her family’s farm home when suddenly a fire broke out. Home alone with eight other children, with no adults around, she sprang into action.

Without any thought to her own safety, she saved seven of the eight children from the burning building.

The Edmonton Journal wrote,

“Six times, while smoke and flames filled the kitchen of the house, did the little girl make her lone trip up and down the stairs. At the sixth attempt, the paint on the stairs was bubbling with heat and the brave child’s throat was raw and choking with acrid smoke.”

She would have saved every child, but four-year-old Barbara Rennie insisted on running back into the burning house. Twice Annetts ran back into the house to carry the child out. On the third time, there was too much smoke and she could not run back in. The child’s body was found inside the house.

The home belonged to Alexander Rennie, a First World War veteran who had separated from his wife. Annetts’ parents lived in the house with Rennie. How the fire started was unknown but when the parents returned to the home at 11:30 p.m., the home was destroyed.

There were calls Annetts to receive the prestigious Carnegie Hero Award. While the town waited to find out if she would earn the reward, a fund was established by Wilfrid Rose to raise money for the young girl and her family. Rose kicked things off by putting $100 into the fund.

Police Commissioner Bryan of the Alberta Provincial Police sent an official letter to the Carnegie Award Commission, outlining the story of Annetts had done.

Instead of the Carnegie Medal, she received the bronze medal of the Royal Humane Society of Canada.

Only a few months after the story of Annetts gripped the nation, it was announced on May 6, 1929 that the Annetts family was being deported back to England. They were unable to make their farm work under the Three Thousand Soldiers Scheme. Farm Equipment and cattle advanced to Annetts’ father disappeared. Annetts’ father had also been sentenced to the Fort Saskatchewan Prison on the charge of stealing grain.

At this point, Annetts fades from history.

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