Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The group of five miniature dress medals attributed to Inspector General J. R. McCowen, Newfoundland Police, who was awarded one of just three Newfoundland Silver Stars for bravery at Sea for the S.S. Aurora conflagration in 1896

The Imperial Service Order, G.V.R., Baltic 1854-55; Royal Humane Society, small silver medal (successful); Royal Humane Society, small bronze medal (successful); Newfoundland Silver Star for Bravery at Sea, S.S. Aurora, all individually displayed in a Spink & Son Ltd. fitted wooden and glazed case, the glass cracked, extremely fine and rare (5) £300-£400

Note: The recipient’s full size medals were sold in these rooms in December 2000.

John Roche McCowen was born in Kilrush, Ireland in 1844, the son of a British naval officer. Failing to pass for a cadetship, he enlisted as a private soldier in the British Army, serving for three years, during which time he experienced some hard roughing and narrow escapes when on foreign service. Leaving the Army by purchase, as a non-commissioned officer, he joined the Royal Irish Constabulary, and served about nine years in all the departments of that force. He was severely wounded twice in the riots in Belfast, which nearly cost him his life. On resigning in 1871, he was the recipient of high recommendations from the Mayor of Belfast, members of Parliament, and Bench of Magistrates, besides his superior officers and others of influence. He was appointed to the organisation of the Newfoundland Constabulary, particularly the mounted force, which he solely organised, drilled, and commanded for seven years, during which time he received the thanks of Government on five different occasions for ‘special services rendered’ as well as pecuniary and other rewards. He received the ‘cordial thanks’ of the Governor in Council for ‘conspicuous bravery in saving life’ and also the medal of the Royal Humane Society.

Royal Humane Society Case No. 20,493: Bronze Medal and Certificate to J. R. McCowen (34) Head Constable; William Bailey (27) Police Constable; A. Tilley (28) Planter; S. Tucker (41), George Oldfield (56), and S. Crew (46), Fishermen. These men saved the lives of Captains Talbot and Perry and the crew of the brig Eric Carbonear on 7th April 1878, at Birds Island Cove, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. There was a shipwreck, strong wind and sea, and a heavy snowstorm. 3 to 5 fathoms deep. A string of ice came near and several of the crew got on it, the shore party prepared ropes etc., a few volunteers guided by McCowen descended the precipitous cliff, crossed with great difficulty a gulch of pan ice, and gained a small island rock to which they attached the ropes. When the men on the ice drifted within 20 yards, ropes were thrown and all were saved, but when saving Perry two huge waves in succession and boulders of ice broke over and swept the rock, knocking the men down and washing two off who were saved again by Bailey, Crew and McCowen. They were wounded and exhausted.

On 24 June 1897, during the celebration of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, Miss Murray, daughter of His Excellency, the Governor, Sir Herbert Murray, presented the following medals: Inspector General McCowan, District Chief Michael Dunn and Fire Constable John Reardon - Silver Stars. Sergeant Dan Mulrooney and Fire Constable Joseph Horwood - Silver Medals. These awards were for conspicuous bravery in putting out a fire aboard the S.S. Aurora, a wooden sailing ship, loaded with dynamite and gunpowder, which was docked in St John’s Harbour.

The Newfoundland Silver Star for Bravery, and Silver and Bronze Medals for Good Service were struck at the instigation of His Excellency Sir Terence O’Brien, Governor of Newfoundland. The original order of 1893 was for 12 Silver Stars, 8 Silver Medals and 20 Bronze Medals. In 1919, a further 15 Silver Stars were made by the Royal Mint, so that 27 Silver Stars in all were made. Of the Silver Stars, 3 were presented in 1897 and five in 1919, one remaining at Government House. The obverse legend of the Silver Star was struck to read ‘For Bravery at Sea’, but the three awards made in 1897 for the ‘Aurora incident’ were specially altered to read ‘For Bravery at S.S. Aurora’, as confirmed by a memo in the Provincial Archives in Newfoundland. For further details of these awards see The Numismatic Circular, February 1966, p.32-33, for an article by W. D. Parsons, M.D., St John’s, Newfoundland.

McCowen is not on the Baltic Medal Roll. He would have been just 10 years old at the time of the naval operations against the Russians in 1854-55 although being the son of an officer of the Royal Navy it is not inconceivable that he went to sea as a boy before failing his cadetship exams. The silver R.H.S. medal was likely self-awarded and is consistent with the renamed silver R.H.S. medal sold with the recipient’s full size group. Note also that the I.S.O. in McCowen’s full size group is the correct Edward VII issue rather than George V.