Australian nurse dubbed the 'Angel of London Bridge' for running to help terror victims before she was stabbed to death receives Florence Nightingale award for her bravery

  • Australian nurse Kirsty Boden was killed in the London Bridge terrorist attack 
  • She was murdered after running to help other victims of the attack in June 2017 
  • She was stabbed as she tried to save the life of Alexandre Pigeard who also died 

Kirsty Boden has been recognised for the selfless act which cost the Australian nurse her life

Kirsty Boden has been recognised for the selfless act which cost the Australian nurse her life

Kirsty Boden, known as the Angel of London Bridge after the 2017 terror attack at the British landmark, has been recognised for the selfless act which cost the Australian nurse her life.

Ms Boden, one of four Australian nurses to receive the Florence Nightingale Medal this year, has been recognised for helping others during the attack.

She was among eight killed when terrorists ran down dozens of people on the bridge with a van on the night of June 3 before stabbing some of their victims.

The 28-year-old, who had been working at Guy's Hospital in London, was stabbed as she tried to help Alexandre Pigeard, 26, who also died.

Ms Boden's partner James Holler recently told a London inquest into the attacks that her heroic actions would not have seemed unusual to those who knew her.

'To Kirsty it wouldn't have seemed brave, she loved people and lived her life helping others,' Mr Holler said.

'To Kirsty her actions that night would have just been an extension of how she lived her life.'

Red Cross aid workers Denise Moyle, Yvonne Ginifer and Cristina de Leon have also been honoured for exemplary service in war zones and countries devastated by disease or natural disaster.

Recognised for her work with surgery teams across war-torn Sudan and post-earthquake Pakistan, Melbourne-based Ms Moyle said she felt incredibly lucky and honoured to receive the medal.

Pictured: terrorists Khuram Shazad Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba

Pictured: terrorists Khuram Shazad Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba

The graphic above shows the various points in the London Bridge and the surrounding areas which were affected

The graphic above shows the various points in the London Bridge and the surrounding areas which were affected

'The opportunities I've had with Australian Red Cross, the fabulous mentors along the way and the privilege of assisting some of the world's most brave and humbling people in their times of desperate need has truly shaped me,' she said.

Ms Ginifer, from Mildura, worked in the Red Cross response to the Ebola epidemic in Liberia and also provided medical care in Myanmar, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan.

She praised the work of volunteers and locals whose communities had been devastated by conflict and disaster.

Ms de Leon was awarded for coordinating the delivery of critical health care in Myanmar, Somalia and Afghanistan.

Ms de Leon, from Sydney, said the award recognised the hard work of everyone at the Red Cross.

'I am privileged to be a small part of the overall team effort and to be part of the Red Cross movement,' she said.

Who were the victims of the London Bridge terror attack? 

Spaniard Ignacio Echeverria was stabbed to death as he tried to fight off the terrorist attackers with his skateboard.

The 39-year-old had been in the UK for over a year was working as a financial crime analyst at HSBC.

Mr Echeverria joined unarmed police constables Wayne Marques and Charlie Guenigault in fighting off the three attackers as they set upon Marie Bondeville, hitting at least one terrorist with his skateboard.

'His courageous efforts were to seek to stop the attack,' Chief Coroner Mark Lucraft said.

Kirsty Boden

Kirsty Boden

Mr Echeverria was the youngest of five siblings and was a Catholic who went to mass every week. He could speak English, German and French fluently. 

Nurse Kirsty Boden was fatally stabbed as she tried to tend to the wounded and the dying.

Miss Boden, 28, moved to London in 2013 from the small town of Loxton, in South Australia.

She was a senior staff nurse at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital and lived with her British boyfriend James Hodder in a flat in Hampstead.

Mr Hodder said: 'She loved people and loved her life helping others. To Kirsty, her actions that night would have been an extension of how she lived her life.' 

Alexandre Pigeard

Alexandre Pigeard

Alexandre Pigeard was working as a waiter at Boro Bistro when he was attacked.

The 26-year-old Frenchman had moved to London to further his ambitions as a dance music DJ.

Minutes before he was fatally stabbed, he video-called his father Philippe during a break from work at the French restaurant.

Mr Pigeard had planned to return to France in the autumn of 2017 to help open a restaurant in Nantes and to record an EP with his musician father.

Mr Pigeard senior told the inquest: 'I'm present here as a devastated father who has lost a child in such circumstances - an inconsolable father.'  

James McMullan

James McMullan

James McMullan was stabbed in the chest near the Barrowboy and Banker pub while he was celebrating getting financial backing for his online education company.

The British-Filipino entrepreneur was watching the Champions League final with friends in the pub.

The 32-year-old, from Hackney in East London, was attacked when he stepped outside to have a cigarette.

He had dreamed of helping children without access to education through his e-learning company.

Mr McMullan's father Simon described his son as 'funny, charming and clever' and said 'his fearlessness could never be underestimated'. 

Sebastien Belanger

Sebastien Belanger

The mother of chef Sebastien Belanger said she does not forgive the terrorists who 'mutilated and killed him'.

Her 36-year-old son was drinking at the Boro Bistro when he was stabbed repeatedly in the chest.

His mother Josiane Belanger said: 'We miss him so much, his smile, his joie de vivre. I do not forgive what they did to him.'

Originally from Angers in western France, Mr Belanger started work at the Coq d'Argent in the City and was promoted to the role of head chef. 

Australian au pair Sara Zelenak was on the 'trip of a lifetime' when she was stabbed to death while on a night out with a friend.

Sara Zelenak

Sara Zelenak

Miss Zelenak's mother Julie Wallace said 'every sliding door' put her daughter in 'harm's way'.

'She was meant to be working and at the last minute she got the night off,' Mrs Wallace said.

'At 10pm Sara's phone rang and her friend said 'I've finished at the rugby' and so she left her safe haven and walked out into a terrorist attack and was stabbed to death.'

Before leaving for UK in March 2017, Miss Zelenak worked with her stepfather Mark as a crane truck operator in Brisbane to save up for her trip.

Her parents have since set up Sarz Sanctuary to help other families to cope with grief.

Xavier Thomas

Xavier Thomas

Xavier Thomas was walking over London Bridge with his girlfriend Christine Delcros when they were hit by the van.

The 45-year-old father-of-two was catapulted into the Thames and his girlfriend suffered life-changing injuries. His body was recovered downstream three days later.

Mr Thomas, who had arrived in London on the day of the attack, lived near Paris and worked for American Express.

Miss Delcros said: 'Since Xavier disappeared in such tragic and traumatic circumstances our whole world has fallen apart.'

Canadian tourist Christine Archibald told her fiance Tyler Ferguson she loved him seconds before she was mowed down.

Christine Archibald

Christine Archibald

Miss Archibald and Mr Ferguson were walking across London Bridge after dinning at a nearby restaurant when the atrocity unfolded.

Her fiancé said: 'At one point Chrissy stopped me out of nowhere, grabbed me close and gave me a passionate kiss after telling me she loved me.

'I remember it being a warm summer's evening and the sun had just gone down.. And then the attack took place and Chrissy was killed.

'No words can express how I felt when this happened. I was absolutely devastated and inconsolable. Nothing has ever been the same since.'

Miss Archibald's engagement ring was lost during the attack, but later recovered from the bridge. Mr Ferguson now wears it on a chain around his neck. 

 

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Australian nurse dubbed 'Angel of London Bridge' receives Florence Nightingale award

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