Life Saving Awards 604


Royal Humane Society, small silver medal (successful), (Robert Lawrence. A.B. 3rd July 1877.) complete with top suspension buckle, two small edge bruises, otherwise lightly polished, good very fine


£300-£400 R.H.S. Case No. 20199: Silver medals to Lieut. James Brant, R.N., and Able Seaman R. Lawrence, R.N., both of H.M.S. Research.


‘When off Port Said, on 3rd July, 1877, a cry of “Man overboard!” was raised on board H.M.S. Research. Engines were at once stopped and reversed, when Henry Godwin, A.B., drifted past, just under water, with one hand raised. At this moment Brant jumped overboard from the hammock netting, followed by Lawrence. They both swam towards Godwin, who was still under water. At this moment a middle sized hammer-headed shark was observed fifteen or twenty yards from the men, swimming rapidly, the three men in the water drifted about four hundred yards astern, where they were picked up by the life-boat. Godwin’s life was most undoubtedly saved by the two men, as all three were thoroughly exhausted when brought on board.’


Robert Lawrence was born at Manchester on 3 February 1856, and joined the Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 1 January 1873, aboard Ganges. He rose to Boy 1st Class in May 1873 and to Ordinary Seaman in March 1874, joining H.M.S. Research on 4 August 1874. He was rated Able Seaman on 1 August 1875, and, after a brief transfer to Hibernia between 17 August and 9 November 1873, he returned to Research, in which he remained until 2 August 1879. On 25 March 1879, whilst still in Research and having attained advancement to Petty Officer 2nd Class, he was reduced to Able Seaman and with only a “Good” character, but what misdemeanour brought this about is not recorded. He left the ship for Royal Adelaide on 2 August 1879. Two months later, on 4 October, he deserted in Devonport and his record of service has no further entries, implying that he was never recovered. Sold with copied record of service and other research.


605


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.


x606


Royal Humane Society, small bronze medal (successful) (G. H. Duggan, 8th. July. 1893.) with integral bronze buckle, good very fine £200-£240


R.H.S. Case no. 26,771: Mr. G. H. Duggan, as great personal risk, rescued eleven persons from drowning in Lake St. Louis, Canada, on 8 July 1893.’


George Herrick Duggan was born in Toronto, Ontario, on 6 September 1863 and was educated at Upper Canada College and at the University of Toronto. Initially employed by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company as an engineer, in 1911 he was appointed Chief Engineer to the St. Lawrence Bridge Company, and was instrumental in the design and construction of the 1,800-foot cantilever bridge which spanned the St. Lawrence river at Quebec. In 1912 he was appointed General Manager of the Dominion Bridge Company, of which he became Vice-President in 1917 and President in 1918, holding that office until 1936, when he resigned to accept the chairmanship of the Board of Directors of the Company. In addition, he was President of the Dominion Engineering Works and a number of allied organisations; a Vice-President of the Royal Bank of Canada; and a director of many important industrial and engineering firms.


A keen yachtsman, Duggan was a founder of the Toronto Yacht Club, the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club, and the Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club, for all of which he acted as Commodore. He designed and built over 100 yachts, and was the winner of the coveted Seawanhaka Cup, subsequently defending it on nine separate occasions. In 1893 he was awarded the bronze medal and certificate of the Royal Humane Society for saving life. He died as the result of a road accident on 8 October 1946.


Sold with copied research including a photographic image of the recipient.


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