Board of Trade Medal for Gallantry in Saving Life at Sea, V.R., large, silver (Charles Hagges, Wreck of the “Aidar” on the 19th. January 1896) in embossed case of issue, nearly extremely fine £300-400

Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, December 2003.

‘At 2 a.m. on 19 January 1896, distress signals were observed by the Staffordshire in the port of Marseilles, from the Aidar, out at sea. The Staffordshire went immediately to the aid of the Aidar which was found in a sinking condition. Three life boats were launched by the Staffordshire with great difficulty due to the darkness and heavy seas. Eventually all 24 passengers and crew of the Aidar were rescued.’

A fuller account of the rescue was published in The Strand Magazine: ‘At 2 a.m. on the 19th of January, while the steamship Staffordshire, of Liverpool, was on a voyage from Marseilles to Port Said, signals of distress were observed from the Aidar, and the Staffordshire immediately went to her assistance. The Aidar, it appeared, was on her way from Odessa to Marseilles, and the wreck occurred in the Mediterranean, near Messina. As the Aidar was found to be sinking fast, three of the Staffordshire’s life-boats were at once launched. But their crews experienced immense difficulty in the work of saving life owing to the darkness and the heavy sea. Three times was the Staffordshire manœuvred round to windward, and each time the life-boat was dispatched the rescuing crew were in serious peril of their own lives. During one visit, the boat was badly damaged by one of Aidar’s davits, which was just above the water. At 6.10 a.m. the only persons left on the wreck were Captain Nutman and an injured and helpless fireman, whom he was endeavouring to save, and whom he absolutely refused to abandon. The steamer was now rapidly settling down, and as it was no longer safe to remain near her, the officer in charge of the rescuing party from the Staffordshire asked Nutman for a final answer - would he leave his helpless charge and save himself? He would not; he persisted in remaining with the injured man, choosing almost certain death rather than leave him to his fate. Even the passengers tried hard to induce the captain to come away, but he would not. The fireman seemed powerless and paralysed with fear, making no effort to save himself beyond clinging to the broken bridge, then down in the water, as the vessel was on her beam ends. As the Staffordshire’s life-boat returned each time, Captain Nutman would say: “Pull away with those people and come back for me afterwards.” It is necessary to explain that the boat could not come quite close to the sinking ship, simply because no one knew the moment when the latter might founder and suck down with her anything that chanced to be floating in the vicinity; moreover, there was a terrific sea.
At last, after having given Captain Nutman many chances of life, the men in the rescuing boats were obliged to pull away reluctantly, and immediately afterwards, at 6:17 a.m., the Aidar gave one or two heavy lurches and then foundered. Long after this the Staffordshire’s life-boat returned to the spot, it crew perhaps animated by vague hopes, and the officer commanding it was amazed to behold Captain Nutman clinging to the bottom of an upturned boat, still grasping the now unconscious fireman. Another half-hour elapsed before the boat could approach, but eventually this hero and his precious charge were picked up and taken on board the Staffordshire. In all 24 persons were saved, one only, a boy, being drowned. This was the cabin boy, who was washed over-board during the night and not seen after 12:30 a.m.
The full details of this action were forwarded to the Queen during Her Majesty’s recent trip to the Riviera.’ (article in The Strand Magazine refers).

Charles Hagges, Steward of the Staffordshire, of Liverpool, was one of 19 officers and crew of the Staffordshire awarded the Board of Trade Medal for Gallantry in Saving Life at Sea in Silver for their rescue of the passengers and crew of the steamship Aidar, also of Liverpool. He was presented with his medal, together with a gratuity of £2, at Liverpool. William John Nutman, Master of the Aidar, was awarded in total seven medals, including the Albert Medal in Gold, for his role in the rescue.

Note: The Albert Medal in Gold awarded to Captain Nutman sold in these rooms in December 2016.