Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Sea Gallantry Medal group of three awarded to Commander W. Niles, Royal Naval Reserve, as Captain of the Port of Gibraltar, for service at the wreck of the Delhi, 1911

Sea Gallantry Medal, G.V.R., silver (Commander William Niles, R.N.R. “Delhi” 13 Dec. 1911); Royal Naval Reserve Decoration, E.VII.R., unnamed, hallmarked London 1908; Royal National Lifeboat Institution, V.R., silver (Mr William Niles. Voted 12th July 1888) nearly extremely fine (3) £1,800-£2,200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the Collection of David Lloyd.

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Provenance: W. P. Dawson Collection; W. H. Fevyer Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, September 2008.

Mr William Niles, Coxswain of the Cardigan Lifeboat, was awarded the R.N.L.I. Medal in silver in July 1888, ‘In recognition of his long and faithful services as Coxswain during which Mr Niles helped save 53 lives from various wrecks. The vessels included the smacks Oliver Lloyd, Turtle Dove and Coronation (1867), the schooner Dollart (1873), the schooner Johanna Antoinette (1875), the brig Wellington (1882), the brigantine Unda (1884) and the fishing boat President (1886)’. (Ref. Lifeboat Gallantry, by Barry Cox).

The P.& O. liner, S.S. Delhi was stranded during a gale on the coast of Morocco, near Cape Spartel, on 13 December 1913. Amongst the passengers requiring rescue were the Duke and Duchess of Fife (The Princess Royal) and their two daughters, Princesses Alexandra and Maud. The Delhi’s lifeboats were smashed on impact but warships in the area, hearing the distress calls, went speeding to the wreck - including the French cruiser Friant - which lost three men in a rescue attempt; the British battleship London and the cruiser Duke of Edinburgh. A boat from the latter managed to take off the royal party but was swamped on the way back not far from shore, throwing everyone into the sea. Princess Alexandra narrowly escaped death by drowning, having to be held up in the water by a sailor. The rescue operations lasted for five days. Amongst the vessels attending was the Gibraltar lifeboat, which had been experiencing difficulty in mustering a crew. Fortunately, the Captain of the Port, Commander William Niles, volunteered as coxswain and the crew was taken from volunteers from H.M.S. Prince of Wales. Commander Niles was a good choice for this particular job as he already held the silver medal of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, not for a specific action but for long and faithful service as coxswain of the Cardigan Lifeboat. The Gibraltar lifeboat made five trips between the wreck and the shore, taking ten to twelve passengers each time. Five members of the crew were washed overboard on one trip but were saved. On her penultimate run she was stove in against her own anchor which resulted in her being half full of water on her last trip and in a poor state when she at last came ashore. Commander William Niles, R.D., R.N.R., Captain of the Port, Gibraltar, was awarded the Sea Gallantry Medal in silver for his services at the wreck. Sold with copied research.