Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria to coincide with the OMRS Convention

A Rare Inter-War S.G.M., Second World War B.E.M. group of three to G. W. Briscoe, Merchant Navy

Sea Gallantry Medal, G.V.R., silver (George William Briscoe, “Bradboyne”, 6th February 1920); British Empire Medal, G.VI.R., 1st issue, Civil Division (George W. Briscoe); Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners Royal Benevolent Society Medal, silver (G. W. Briscoe, Bosn., S.S. Oxonian, February.6.1920), last with double-dolphin slip bar and silver buckle, nearly extremely fine (3) £750-850

B.E.M. London Gazette 9 January 1946.

S.G.M: ‘On 6 February 1920, during a strong gale, the S.S. Bradboyne of Bideford, was in distress in the North Atlantic and in response to wireless signals of distress the S.S. Oxonian of Liverpool, immediately proceeded to her assistance. On her arrival it was decided to abandon the Bradboyne but, owing to that vessel’s heavy list and the state of the weather, her boats could not be lowered. The Master of the Oxonian called for volunteers to man the boats which he had previously got ready for lowering. No.2 boat under the command of Mr Williams, and manned by Steele, O’Gorman, Ridger, Owen, Sheldon and Starkey, was lowered and rowed towards the Bradboyne, with a special warning not to go alongside. Half an hour later, No.4 boat, under the command of Mr Watson, and manned by Mr Malabar, Briscoe, Uthank, Owen, Fitzgerald and Simms, was sent off. This boat went alongside the Bradboyne and 14 members of the crew jumped in, leaving on the wreck the Master, two Officers and a Fireman, who was in a highly nervous state. With great difficulty the Fireman was got into the boat, which however, was washed away before the Master and Second Officer could get in. In a further attempt to get the boat alongside, she capsized. Some of the occupants clung to the capsized boat, but were washed off by a heavy sea and only four men regained her, being afterwards rescued by the Oxonian, which in the meantime had been brought to windward. Others attempted to swim to the Oxonian and ropes, buoys and rafts were thrown overboard from that vessel. Mr Wilkinson, Mr Watson, Mr Malabar, Mr J. R. Owen, Fulton and H. Owen going over the side of the vessel with ropes in attempting to rescue the men in the water, but Mr Williams, O’Gorman, Ridger, Steele, Sheldon and Starkey, together with 13 members of the crew of the Bradboyne drowned. The Master and Second Officer of the Oxonian [should read Bradboyne] afterwards managed to get into a boat and were rescued by the Canadian S.S. Monarch’ (P.R.O. BT261-1 refers).

Boatswain George William Briscoe was born on 6.5.1892 in Liverpool. He was one of 17 men of the Oxonian to be awarded the silver Sea Gallantry Medal for the above rescue; six being awarded posthumously. The Master of the Oxonian and the Master of the Monarch were awarded a Silver Cup. The rescue was adjudged by the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners Society to be the most meritorious of the year and the Society’s medal was awarded to the Master of the Oxonian and the 17 men who had received the S.G.M. Briscoe’s British Empire Medal was gazetted whilst he was serving as a Boatswain aboard the S.S. Lipari of the Moss Hutchison Line.

Sold with the original Buckingham Palace forwarding letter for the B.E.M. (dated 16.1.1947); a letter of notification for the B.E.M. from Sir Cyril Hurcomb, G.C.B., K.B.E., Minister of War Transport (dated 5.1.1946) and a congratulatory letter from the Secretary of the Moss Hutchison Line (dated 7.1.1946), together with copied research details including paper clippings detailing the ‘Bradboyne’ rescueƒ