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Auction: 9022 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 408

x The Rare Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Medal with Seven Bars to Thomas Walker, Stageman, Seacombe Ferry, For His Bravery in Saving Over 26 People, Amongst Others, a Child, a Drunkard, a Bather, a Suicide, and a Maniac Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society, small silver medal (Thomas Walker for repeated acts of bravery and humanity in saving life), with Second Award Bar ´For Saving Life´, with Third Award Bar ´For Saving Life 9: April, 1872´, with Fourth Award Bar ´For Saving Life 30; June, 1873´, with Fifth Award Bar ´For Saving Life 10: Nov: 1873´, with Sixth Award Bar ´For Saving Life 7: March 1874´, with Seventh Award Bar ´For Saving Life- Sepr. 9. 1874´, with Eighth Award Bar ´For Saving Life Augt. 5. 1881´, the medal partially re-engraved, nearly extremely fine, rare, with top silver riband brooch bar Estimate £ 600-800 Silver Medal Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Annual Report 1866 ´´To Thomas Walker, master of Egremont steamer "Gem", for jumping into the river on two occasions, and saving two boys, one of whom had fallen in, and the other got out of his depth whilst bathing. Walker also received £2-0-0.´´ Second Award Bar Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Annual Report 1872 ´´To Thomas Walker, ferry stageman at Seacombe, for jumping into the river on the 21st July, 1871, and rescuing a man who, while in a state of delirim tremens, had attempted to commit suicide. Walker was laden with five pounds´´ weight of ferry pennies, and ran great risk, as a ferry steamer coming to at the time went over both men, and they were several minutes in the water. A Silver Clasp to the Medal he is already wearing an a pecuniary reward.´´ Third Award Bar Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Annual Report 1872 ´´To Thomas Walker, ferry stageman at Seacombe, a Silver Clasp to his medal and a pecuniary reward, jumping into the river on the 8th April, 1872, and rescuing a man who had fallen overboard in a strong flood tide with rough sea. Thomas Walker also received a money award for saving the life of a child that had fallen into the river at Seacombe on the 26th June, 1872 (this is the seventeenth life Walker has been the means of rescuing.´´ Fourth Award Bar Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Annual Report 1874 ´´To Thomas Walker, Seacombe Ferry stageman, a Silver Clasp to his medal, for jumping into the river at the ferry on the 30th June, 1873, and saving a man who made a desperate attempt to commit suicide while under the influence of drink, and struggled violently with Walker while in the water. This is the twentieth life Walker has been the means of saving.´´ Fifth Award Bar Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Annual Report 1874 ´´To Thomas Walker, Seacombe stageman, a Silver Clasp to his medal for jumping into the river and rescuing a drunken man who made a determined attempt to commit suicide, on the night of the 19th November, 1873. This is the twenty-first life he has saved.´´ Sixth Award Bar Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Annual Report 1874 ´´To Thomas Walker, stageman at Seacombe Ferry, a Silver Clasp to his medal, for jumping overboard and rescuing a man who attempted to get on board the ferry steamer while in motion, on the night of the 7th March, 1874. His twenty-second rescue. Thomas Walker also received a pecuniary reward for going into the river and rescuing a man who attempted to drown himself while in a state of intoxication, on 12th December, 1873 (the amount paid was £1-0-0).´´ Seventh Award Bar Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Annual Report 1875 ´´To Thomas Walker, stageman, Seacombe Ferry, for jumping into the river and saving a lad who was nearly drowned while bathing on the 9th September, 1874, a Silver Clasp and a pecuniary reward. (This is the twenty-fifth time he has been rewarded for saving life). Eighth Award Bar Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Annual Report 1882 ´´A Silver Clasp to Thomas Walker, gatekeeper at Seacombe Ferry, for having, on the 5th August, 1881, jumped into the river with a ladder to rescue a woman who attempted to drown herself. (This is the 26th person rescued by Walker).´´ The medal would have originally been awarded with the recipient´´s name and details of the first award engraved around the edge; later, these details have been changed, probably by the recipient, to read ´´for repeated acts of bravery and humanity in saving life´´ to reflect his many gallant deeds over a prolonged period, and not just to commemorate the one original incident. Provenance: Baldwin, March 1969

Sold for
£1,800