Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The silver Royal National Lifeboat Institute Medal awarded to Mr. U. Bradford, Local Waterman of Exmouth, Devon and a member of the local lifeboat crew

Royal National Lifeboat Institution, V.R., silver (Mr. Uriah Bradford. Voted 11th January 1894.) with uniface ‘double dolphin’ suspension, minor edge bruising, nearly extremely fine £600-£800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the Collection of Peter and Dee Helmore.

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Uriah Bradford and his four brothers were all local watermen. Together with his brother John and fellow waterman George Prowse they launched the Bradford’s 15 foot boat, the Leonora, to go out to the assistance of the three masted schooner, or brigantine, John Gronsünd stranded on the Pole Sands on the night of 4 January 1894 during a strong south-easterly gale and snow storm. Both the Bradfords were generally part of the lifeboat crew. On this occasion the lifeboat had been launched but was unable to reach the stranded vessel. The Bradfords and Prowse successfully rescued the six man crew and were each awarded the RNLI medal in silver for their bravery.

Uriah Bradford was born in Littleham, Exmouth in 1858. A local fisherman and waterman he enrolled at Teignmouth into the Royal Naval Reserve on 18 January 1876 and was also, with his brother, a member of the volunteer crew of the Exmouth RNLI lifeboat. His death at Exmouth aged 39 on 30 January 1898 is recorded in the Royal Naval Reserve records and he is buried in the Littleham Churchyard.

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