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Auction: 25003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 176

An unusual 1940 B.E.M. awarded to Boatman R. Sivewright, who went to the rescue of a fisherman who had been thrown into heavy seas off Dry Harbour, Jamaica

British Empire Medal, G.VI.R., Civil Division (Ronald Seivewright), good very fine

B.E.M. London Gazette 28 June 1940:

'[Joint citation with William Leslie & Elleanah Williams - both also B.E.M.]

On Wednesday, 8th November, 1939, at about 7 a.m. a party of men were fishing on a rock about 1.5 miles from Dry Harbour, Jamaica. It was the hurricane period and a heavy sea was running, with the tides dashing over the rock. A great wave swept the rock and one man, Johnson, was thrown into the sea. Although a good swimmer, it was impossible to swim to the shore at that point and Johnson was only able to just keep afloat while being drawn further out to sea.

He supported himself by holding on to a piece of log which had been thrown to him. When nearly exhausted, a small bamboo raft with an inflated inner tube attached, which had been hastily prepared and thrown into the sea, drifted near enough to enable him to grasp it and he thus kept himself afloat.

Johnson was now about 100 yards from the shore. Leslie, Williams and Seivewright then took off in a canoe from Dry Harbour to rescue him. Leslie acted as coxswain, and Williams and Seivewright rowed. They pulled to outside the harbour and then for over a mile along the coast in the raging sea. They eventually reached Johnson, and Leslie pulled him into the canoe. After two hours they at last landed Johnson safely on the beach at Dry Harbour. It was exceptionally dangerous for a canoe to put to sea in the conditions prevailing.'


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Estimate
£300 to £500

Starting price
£240