A fine Collection of Life Saving Awards

Fleetwood Humane Society, reverse inscribed, ‘Awarded to John Robert Thomason by the Fleetwood Humane Society for Bravery Displayed on 7th Nov. 1890’, 38mm., gold, swivel ring suspension, with gold slip bar on ribbon, slight edge bruising, nearly extremely fine, extremely rare
£1400-1800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A fine Collection of Life Saving Awards.

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The Fleetwood fishing smack The Osprey, with James Fogg, master and crewed by James Abram, Robert Greenall, George Wilkinson and a boy - John Robert Tomlinson (sic), went to the aid of a schooner in distress during a violent storm in Morecombe Bay, 7 November 1890. Despite the fact that The Osprey had also suffered severe damage in the storm, they went to the rescue of the schooner. During the rescue operations, Abram and Greenall lost their lives and Wilkinson owed his life to the gallant efforts of the boy Tomlinson. (ref. The Fleetwood Express and The Storm of 1890).

The Fleetwood Humane Society was established in 1891, probably as a result of the ‘storm of 1890’ - research indicates that the Society was disbanded shortly afterwards. For his great bravery, John Robert Thomason/Thomlinson was awarded a Gold Medal by the shortlived society.

There is a memorial in Euston Park Esplanade, Fleetwood ‘to the gallant memory of James Abram and Robert Greenall’. See also Gold Medal of the Fleetwood Humane Society, by Captain Jack Boddington, O.M.R.S. Journal, Summer 1985. With copied research.