William Henry Belpitt was born in 1860 and experienced a troubled childhood following the death of his father in 1866. His mother later remarried, but instability marked his early years. Along with his brothers, William spent time in institutions when his mother could not be located. He later became an inmate of the youth training ship NSS Vernon in New South Wales due to petty crime and uncontrollable behaviour.
Despite these difficult beginnings, William’s life would take an extraordinary turn.
After further trouble in Fremantle, Western Australia, and a term in Fremantle Gaol, Belpitt was released in November 1878. He joined a ship’s crew bound for England and later entered the British Navy, though he soon absconded. Travelling onward to New York, he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1881 as an Ordinary Seaman aboard the USS Monocacy, a side-wheel gunboat patrolling the waters of Japan, Korea, and China. He was later promoted to Petty Officer and appointed Captain of the Afterguard.
On 7 October 1884, while the Monocacy lay at anchor in Foochow (Fuzhou), China, Belpitt saw a man thrown into the water when a canoe capsized. Without hesitation, he leapt overboard and sustained the struggling man until assistance arrived. For this act of gallantry, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military decoration. His citation records:
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.”
After completing his naval service, Belpitt returned to Australia. He married Minnie Gould in January 1889 and they had one son, Charles William Belpitt, who later served with the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War and survived service in France. Belpitt worked in maritime roles in Sydney and was appointed Harbour Master – Harbour and River. He is also believed to have served on the staff of the training ship NSS Sobraon, where he advocated against mistreatment of boys under its charge.
In 1900 he volunteered for service in the Anglo-Boer War and travelled to South Africa at his own expense, determined to serve despite delays. Following the war, he returned to Sydney and remained an active commentator on naval affairs, once stating that life in the United States Navy had been preferable to his British experience.
William Henry Belpitt died on 29 November 1912 , suffering from heart and kidney disease and is buried at Rookwood Catholic Cemetery Section Grave Mortuary 2 N Grave 1236.
On 11 October 2025, more than a century after his passing, Belpitt’s life and service were formally commemorated in a ceremony organised by US Legion AU01, the Warwick Group, the Medal of Honor Historical Society and US Veteran Affairs, with strong Australian and American support. Family descendants were present, and plans were announced for a permanent display in his honour.
No longer does this hero rest in “a bare patch of ground.” His courage, resilience and remarkable journey from troubled youth to Medal of Honor recipient are now properly remembered.
( Base on the Biography by Shane Dell ( Warwick Group) 2025)
Read lessWilliam Henry Belpitt was born in 1860 and experienced a troubled childhood following the death of his father in 1866. His mother later remarried, but instability marked his early years. Along with his brothers, William spent time in institutions when his mother could not be located. He later became an inmate of the youth training ship NSS Vernon in New South Wales due to petty crime and uncontrollable behaviour.
Despite these difficult beginnings, William’s life would take an extraordinary turn.
After further trouble in Fremantle, Western Australia, and a term in Fremantle Gaol, Belpitt was released in November 1878. He joined a ship’s crew bound for England and later entered the British Navy, though he soon absconded. Travelling onward to New York, he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1881 as an Ordinary Seaman aboard the USS Monocacy, a side-wheel gunboat patrolling the waters of Japan, Korea, and China. He was later promoted to Petty Officer and appointed Captain of the Afterguard.
On 7 October 1884, while the Monocacy lay at anchor in Foochow (Fuzhou), China, Belpitt saw a man thrown into the water when a canoe capsized. Without hesitation, he leapt overboard and sustained the struggling man until assistance arrived. For this act of gallantry, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military decoration. His citation records:
Jumping overboard from that vessel on the mo... More
