Auction Catalogue

4 July 2001

Starting at 12:00 PM

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Miniature Medals

Grand Connaught Rooms  61 - 65 Great Queen St  London  WC2B 5DA

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Lot

№ 704

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4 July 2001

Hammer Price:
£620

Royal National Lifeboat Institution, V.R., silver (Mr William Hills, Voted 4th Jany. 1866) with silver bar ‘Second Service’, the reverse inscribed ‘Voted 7th July 1870’, very fine and scarce £450-550

See Colour Plate V

Silver Medal to William Hills, Coxswain, Padstow Lifeboat, and Silver Clasp to Daniel Shea, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard, Padstow. ’29 December 1865: When the Greenock barque
Juliet, Demarara, British Guiana to London, was seen anchored and flying a distress signal at the entrance to Padstow harbour, Cornwall, near Hell Bay, the self-righting lifeboat Albert Edward was launched. She anchored within 100 yards of the barque, which was rolling heavily in a very strong gale and, in spite of much difficulty and danger, the 17 man crew were taken off and helped the lifeboat’s crew to gain the harbour; the barque later became a total wreck. Mr Shea was awarded his clasp for his gallant conduct and Coxswain Hill’s medal was given for this rescue as well as his previous general gallant services.’

Silver Clasp to William Hills, Chief Boatman, H.M. Coastguard, Padstow, Voted 7 July 1870: ‘In testimony of his long and gallant services in assisting as Coxswain of Padstow lifeboat to save a large number of lives from shipwreck’. Prominent among the services during this period were those to the bragantine
Nugget (1861), the sloop Loftus (1862), the brigantine Pandema and the schooner Betsy (1863), the barque Juliet (1865), the smack Jules Josephine (1868), the brigantine Thomas and the schooner Alexandrine (1860,) and the barque Suez (1870).