The C.Q.D. Life-Saving Medal awarded to First Class Bedroom Steward H. Roberts, S.S. Republic, for his assistance in the rescue of over 1,700 lives from the Republic and the Italian liner “Florida”, following their collision off Nantucket in January 1909; subsequently transferring to the R.M.S. Titanic, he was drowned when the ill-fated vessel struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic on her maiden voyage on the night of 14-15 April 1912, and sank with the loss of over 1,500 lives

C.Q.D. Medal 1909, silver (Hugh Roberts. First Class Bedroom Steward. S.S. Republic.) contemporarily engraved naming, edge nicks, nearly extremely fine £1,000-£1,400

Hugh Roberts was born in Holyhead in c.1873 and served as a First Class Bedroom Steward in the White Star Line’s S.S. Republic. In the early morning of 23 January 1909, the Republic, sailing from New York to Gibraltar, collided with the Italian liner S.S. Florida in fog off the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The White Star Line’s R.M.S. Baltic responded to the C.Q.D. call sent out by radio. Three passengers died in the collision; the remaining passengers from the Republic were transferred, first to the less-damaged Florida, and then, on her arrival, to the Baltic. The Republic sank the next day whilst under tow to New York. The saloon passengers of the two White Star Liners subscribed to a fund to provide medals to the crews of the three ships involved, in recognition of the fact that they saved more than 1,700 lives. This was the first occasion on which the C.Q.D. distress call had been sent by wireless transmission.

Roberts remained in the employ of the White Star Line, and was aboard the Titanic for her delivery trip from Belfast to Southampton. He signed on again for the Titanic in Southampton on 4 April 1912, giving his last ship as the Baltic, and was employed upon the ill-fated liner’s maiden voyage as a first class bedroom steward, with monthly wages of £3 15s. He was amongst those drowned when, having struck an iceberg, the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic on the night of 14-15 April 1912 with the loss of over 1,500 lives. His body was recovered from the ocean by the Mackay-Bennett, and he was subsequently buried at sea on 23 April 1912. When recovered from the sea he is recorded as wearing the following cloths: ‘Black Coat; Steward’s Cast; two waistcoats; brown and blue striped pyjamas; black boots; false teeth top jaw’.

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