James (Jim) Joseph Mannion (1 August 1912 – 18 September 1968) was a renowned policeman and soldier who worked in the Northern TerritoryofAustralia. He is best known for an act of bravery clearing a burning building of occupants, an act which saw him awarded a George Medal.
Mannion was born in Broken Hill, New South Wales on 1 August 1912. His father was Martin Henry Mannion and his mother, Marcella Ellen (née Marron) who died when he was two years old. He went to school in Adelaide and began his career working on farms in South Australia. At the age of 18, he began writing about boxing for The Ring as their Australian correspondent.[1] He continued to write about boxing throughout his life.[2]
After World War II, Mannion returned to work in Tennant Creek and Katherine. He received the George Medal for his work at a fire at Campbell's Store in Tennant Creek on 3 December 1956.[6] He entered the burning building to clear any remaining occupants.[3] In another notable incident, Mannion was shot in the leg when responding to the shooting of Constable Bill Condon in Katherine. The incident was turned into a cartoon which was published in The Eagle magazine in 1962.[7]
Mannion later worked at the Police and Citizens Boys Club in Darwin as a boxing trainer. In 1964, he became the founding editor of police magazine Citation. Mannion was awarded a Police Long Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal in March 1965. Mannion died on 18 September 1968 while still serving.[3]
^"AFFRAY WITH POLICE". Northern Standard. No. 73. Northern Territory, Australia. 15 September 1936. p. 10. Retrieved 25 November 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^Tapp Coutts, Toni. "Katherine Street Names"(PDF). Territory Stories. Northern Territory Library. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
^"Territory Policing Legend Honoured"(PDF). Northern Territory Police News: The Independent Voice of Police in the Northern Territory. Territory Stories: 20–21. October 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
