Auction Catalogue

17 August 2021

Starting at 10:00 AM

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Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

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Lot

№ 605

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17 August 2021

Hammer Price:
£140

Royal Humane Society, small bronze medal (successful), (Wm. H. Symons Chief Qr. Master, H.M.S. Dart 8th Feby. 1888) lacking top suspension buckle, very fine £140-£180

R.H.S. Case No. 23953: Salvor, William Hy. Symons, Acting Chief Quarter Master H.M.S. Dart. The casualty was a painter called William Deslie, aged 55, living in Sydney N.S.W. At 6 p.m. on 8 February 1888 at Circular Quay on the south side of Sydney harbour, Deslie was drunk and, whilst sitting on the edge of the quay, he lost his balance and fell 15 ft into the water, the depth of which was 30 ft. Symons came up afterwards and, seeing Deslie in a sinking condition (his head being under the water), he jumped in with all his clothes on, swam to the man and brought him back to the piles where, with great difficulty, he held him up for 10 or 15 minutes before a rope was lowered. The casualty was ‘insensible’. An (unstated) ‘pecuniary’ award was sent to the Secretary of the Admiralty ten days after the committee meeting held on 19 June 1888.

William Henry Symons was born at St Martins, Cornwall, on 4 October 1856, and is first shown in the Navy serving as a Boy 1st Class in Achilles which he had joined on 6 May 1874. On his 18th birthday, later that year, he engaged for 10 years as a Devonport rating, and was advanced to Ordinary Seaman 2nd Class the same day. He advanced to Ordinary Seaman in December 1876, and to Able Seaman in March 1877 whilst in Shah, in which ship he earned the Zulu War medal with clasp ‘1879’. He was advanced to Leading Seaman in May 1882 whilst in Agincourt, earning the Egypt medal in this ship. He was promoted to Petty Officer 2nd Class in October 1883 whilst in Cambridge, and to Petty Officer 1st Class in August 1885, on his arrival in Dart for the first time, but he was only in her until 15 November 1885, before being sent to Nelson for a few months until May 1886. He then returned to Dart and, 13 months later, was advanced to Acting Chief Petty Officer (and Acting Chief Quartermaster) in June 1887, being confirmed as C.P.O. on 12 June 1888. He remained as a C.P.O. for the rest of his career.

H.M.S.
Dart had been transferred to the Royal Navy as a survey ship in March 1882. Symons was aboard Dart briefly in 1885 and then continuously from May 1886 to March 1889, during which period she was engaged in survey work at Hobart, Tasmania, and in the Louisade Archipeligo in the South Pacific. Symons was pensioned on 5 October 1899, at the age of 43, and was afterwards an Assistant Warder at Bodmin Naval Prison, besides being a member of the Royal Naval Reserve until October 1906. Besides the medals for South Africa and Egypt, it seems most probable that he also received the L.S. & G.C. medal. Sold with copied record of service and R.H.S. Case book.