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Auction: 11010 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria
Lot: 289

Pair: J. Danton, Ramsgate Lifeboat Sea Gallantry Medal, V.R., Large Bronze Medal for Gallantry (James Danton, Wrecks of the "Fusilier" and "Demerara", 3rd. and 4th. Decr. 1863.), in embossed ´Board of Trade Medal for Gallantry in Saving Life at Sea´ leather case of issue named to ´James Danton´; Spain, Kingdom, Queen Isabella II Silver Medal for Saving Life, silver, edge engraved ´James Dantom [sic].´, in embossed leather case of issue named to ´James Dantom´, extremely fine (2) Estimate £ 400-500 James Danton, Ramsgate Lifeboat, citation reads: ´At 8.45pm on the 3rd December 1863, the Ramsgate lifeboat, the Northumberland, and her crew were towed out by the paddle tug Aid, after a report had been received of signal guns being fired by the Tongue light-vessel. In mountainous seas and a near hurricane, the lifeboat men had a terrible time as the tug battled her way north. The crew of the Tongue light-vessel indicated that there was a ship aground on the Shingles. This proved to be incorrect as after some time the casualty was seen by the lifeboat on the Girdler Bank where it was being pounded by enormous seas. The wind by that time blowing a full hurricane but with skill and courage the lifeboat was got alongside the casualty which was the ship Fusilier bound from London to Melbourne with emigrants. At 2.00am 25 women and children were taken on board the lifeboat and then transferred to the tug which was waiting in deeper water nearly a mile away. The coxswain took the lifeboat alongside the Fusilier a second time and as huge seas repeatedly swept over both boats another 40 women and children were rescued and taken to the tug. Two more trips were made saving all 36 male passengers and putting them on board the tug. By then it was 6.00am and the tug and lifeboat stood by the steamer whose captain and crew had remained on board. The tug left at day-break to land the 101 people, the lifeboat continuing to stand by the stranded steamer. When the tug returned some one and half hours later it reported that another vessel was aground on the Shingles Bank. The lifeboat immediately set off towards this casualty. The vessel was the Demerara of Greenock with a crew of 18 plus a pilot on board. They had been clinging to the rigging for eleven hours when the lifeboat got alongside and rescued them. Both boats then returned to Ramsgate sixteen hours after they had set out.´ For this action a total of 22 bronze Sea Gallantry Medals for Gallantry were awarded; Danton also received the Spanish Queen Isabella Silver Medal for this incident. Provenance: Spink, April 1990.

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