Orders, Decorations and Medals

Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society, Marine Medal, 3rd type, silver (Geo. Rees, 3rd Officer, S.S. Malta for having with boat’s crew rescued crew of S.S. Dhooliah, 21.12.76) with silver buckle on ribbon, suspension refixed but slack, small jeweller’s mark to obverse, very fine £200-240

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Life Saving Awards formed by The Late W.H. Fevyer.

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Ref. Spink Exhibition 1985, No. 132.

Extracts from Society’s records:

‘To Captain Thomas Durrant, S.S. Malta, Mr Rees, third officer, George Black and William Robertson, quartermasters. On the 21st December 1876, at daylight, the Malta, while homeward bound, fell in with the steamship Dhoolia in the Bay of Biscay in a sinking state. Three boats from the Dhoolia brought a portion of the crew on board the Malta, all of whom refused to go back to rescue their shipmates. There was a heavy sea running.

Mr George Rees, third officer of the Malta, with a crew of five volunteers, went in one of the Dhoolia’s boats and rescued all but the master and one of the crew. The Dhoolia’s boat having been stove in alongside the Malta, the same boat’s crew went in one of the Malta’s boats and succeeded in saving the master and one seaman who had remained in the Dhoolia. In all, 43 of the crew of the Dhoolia were saved. While effecting this rescue, George Black had his hand crushed and has since died from the effects of the injuries he received’.