Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An Albert Medal Second Class for Sea awarded to Mr. F. Pitts, Chief Officer of the S.S. Pleiades, for gallantry in attempting to save the life of a seaman who had fallen overboard during a gale en-route from Calcutta to London, on 30 May 1881

Albert Medal, 2nd Class, for Gallantry in Saving Life at Sea, bronze and enamel, reverse officially engraved ‘Presented in the name of Her Majesty to Mr. Francis Pitts Chief Officer of the Steam Ship “Pleiades”, of Liverpool, for his Gallant attempt to save the life of a seaman who had fallen overboard from that vessel on the 30th. May 1881’, reverse of the crown with maker’s cartouché Phillips, Cockspur St., and officially numbered ‘49’, with top bronze riband buckle, nearly extremely fine £4,000-£5,000

Provenance: Spink, December 1986.

A.M. London Gazette 3 January 1882:

‘At about 7 a.m., on the 30th May last, while the Pleiades was running before a very heavy south-westerly gale, an able seaman was washed overboard. Three life buoys were at once thrown to him, and the engines slowed. Soon after the lookout man reported him to be on the starboard beam, but owing to the tremendous sea that was running the Master deemed it unsafe to lower a boat, and for the same reason it was impossible, without imperilling the ship, to turn her to the direction of the man. The Master then, knowing Mr. Pitts to be a fair swimmer, called upon him to attempt the rescue of the man by swimming to him with a line. Without a moment’s hesitation Mr. Pitts jumped overboard with the line, but after going about 300 yards he was obliged to let go the line and swim towards the ship. So great was the force of the waves that he was carried past the ship and was not rescued without much difficulty. When taken out of the water he was quite exhausted.’