Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Family group:

A Surrey Commercial Dock Company Medal for Saving Life awarded to Hatchkeeper E. A. Franklin
Surrey Commercial Dock Company Medal for Saving Life, silver, the reverse inscribed ‘Elijah A. Franklin, March 25th 1909’, nearly extremely fine

Four: Stoker Petty Officer E. T. Franklin, Royal Navy
1914-15 Star (291194 E. T. Franklin. S.P.O., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (291194 E. T. Franklin. S.P.O. R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (291194 E. T. Franklin, Sto. P.O., H.M.S. Vanguard.) nearly extremely fine (5) £300-£400

Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, March 2009.

Elijah A. Franklin, of Toll Cottage, Trafalgar Bridge, Trafalgar Road, Peckham, London, was employed as a hatchkeeper with the Surrey Commercial Dock Company, London. The official report into his act of gallantry states:
‘On the night of March 25th, a woman, aged about forty-five, attempted to commit suicide in the Canal. A man, named Stanley Hawes, jumped in without divesting himself of his clothes, and brought the woman to shore in an unconscious state. With the assistance of Hatchkeeper Franklin, who uses artificial respiration for about twenty minutes, the woman recovered consciousness and was conveyed to the Infirmary.’

Edward Thomas Franklin, the brother of Elijah A. Franklin, was born in Deptford, Kent on 10 August 1878. A labourer by occupation, he enlisted into the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 17 January 1899. He was advanced to Stoker when based at Pembroke II in August 1899 and to Leading Stoker in June 1906 when on Illustrious. Posted to the battleship Vanguard in June 1912, he attained the rank of Stoker Petty Officer on her in January 1913. He was fortunate to leave the ship in November 1916 as the vessel was sunk due to an internal explosion whilst at anchor at Scapa Flow on 9 July 1917. Posted to Pembroke II, Franklin died of cancer on 2 May 1918. He was buried in Camberwell Old Cemetery, London.

Sold with (damaged) inscribed lids for the card boxes containing the Great War Medals and with copied service papers.