Orders, Decorations and Medals

Tayleur Fund Medal, silver, reverse inscribed, ‘Presented to James Carton, for courage & endurance in saving life at the Wreck of the Bell Hill at Balbriggan, 26th Feby 1875, Lord Talbot de Malahide Chairman’, scroll suspension, cleaned, faint signs of fire damage, good very fine £300-400

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

View
Collection

The Belle Hill departed Lverpool for Valparaiso on 25 February 1875. She was commanded by Captain Edgar with a crew of fifteen. Soon after setting sail, the weather began to deteriorate and continued to get worse during the night as she crossed the Irish Sea. Early the next day a gale came suddenly upon her and with her topsails furled and mainsails reefed, and almost with bare masts, she was driven helpless before the wind. At 9 a.m. on the the 26th she sighted the coast at Balbriggan. James M’Donnell, an Able Seaman on board the ship, who had knowledge of that part of the coast, could see disaster looming and implored the Captain to make for the Rock of Bell lighthouse where he knew there to be a sandy beach where the ship could be run aground with a fair chance of survival. The captain, wishing to save his ship, instead ordered his anchors to be let go, to hold the ship in position. In the heavy sea this failed and by noon the ship had grounded on rocks. The eventual fate of the vessel had long been known by the crowd on the shore, and rescue operations were soon under way, with lines being fired by coastguard rocket apparatus in the charge of Chief Boatman George Marsh. In the terrible conditions, the lines became fouled and so the breeches buoy was not able to operate. By 2 p.m. the ship was breaking up and Captain Edgar ordered that every man should save himself. M’Donnell and two others managed to haul themselves onto the rocks but in an exhausted state could go no further. On shore, James Carton, a 60 year old fisherman, with John Carvin and James Murphy decided to attempt a rescue from the beach. Holding a line they waded out to the rocks and reached the sailors and were able to drag them higher up, further out of the reach of the sea. For over two hours they tried to keep up the spirits of the sailors and restore their circulation in the freezing conditions. However, as the time went by, they too began to suffer from exposure. Captain Broughton, the Coastguard Inspector, had observed their brave efforts and was determined to assist them. Having sent for a boat, a volunteer crew of four coastguards set out from the beach. In two trips they brought back the three men, one dying almost immediately, a second, a few hours later, only one, James M’Donnell survived to tell the tale. The Coroner and Jury highly praised Carton, Carvin and Murphy for their brave conduct. It was also recommended that a permanent lifeboat be provided for Balbriggan.

The rescue of men from the Belle Hill at Balbriggan was the fourth rescue for which Taleur Fund Medals were issued.

Sold with copied extracts from The Freemans Journal, 1 March 1875, and The Tayleur Fund Medals, by John Wilson, L.S.A.R.S.J. No. 22.