Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An Order of St. John, Edward Medal of the Second Class group of four awarded to Mr. C. W. Hudson, for the gallant ten-hour rescue of an entombed miner at the Ireland Colliery, Staveley, Derbyshire, on 28 February 1916

The Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Serving Brother’s breast badge, 1st type (1892-1939), silver and enamel, circular badge with white enamel cross with heraldic beasts in angles raised above the background; Edward Medal (Mines), G.V.R., 1st issue, bronze (Charles William Hudson); Special Constabulary Long Service Medal, G.V.R., 1st issue, 1 clasp, Long Service 1939 (Charles Hudson.); Service Medal of the Order of St John, with Three Additional Award Bars (5836 C/Offr. C. W. Hudson. Staveley Ireland Col. Div. No. 5 Dis. S.J.A.B. 1927.) contact marks, nearly very fine and better (4) £1,000-£1,400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the Collection of David Lloyd.

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E.M. London Gazette 27 June 1916: Charles William Hudson, Contractor, employed at the Ireland Colliery, Staveley, Derbyshire (in a joint citation with Harold Gregory, Under Manager; Charles Benjamin Franklin, Day Deputy; Edward Nurse, Stallman; and Thomas Smith, Stallman, all similarly employed)
‘On the 28th February 1916, at 7:00 a.m., a fall of roof occurred at the Ireland Colliery, by which a filler named John William Fieldsend was imprisoned. Gregory, Franklin, Hudson, Nurse, and Smith at once set to work to open a passage through the fallen roof in order to rescue their fellow workman. The roof was everywhere very uneasy and a further fall was liable to occur at any moment. Owing to the narrowness of the place, only one man could work at the head of the passage (the most dangerous place), while the remaining four, one behind the other, passed out the material removed, the men taking by turns the post of danger. After about three hours’ work, at 10:00 a.m. a further fall occurred, closing the passage which had been made for three yards. Fortunately the workers escaped without injury. Work was at once resumed, and Fieldsend was reached. As soon, however, as an attempt was made to remove him from under a piece of timber, by which he was pinned down, a third fall occurred, blocking up the passage for about four yards, and displacing much of the timber which had been used to prop up the roof and walls of the passage as it was made. Finally, at 5:00 p.m., after 10 hours’ continuous work, Fieldsend was reached and taken out of the pit. He was not much injured. All five men ran continuous risk, during the whole 10 hours, of serious injury or death from falls of roof.’

Charles William Hudson’s own statement reads:
‘I was at the top of Inkersall jinney when a messenger came from the undermanager to say that a man was buried in 105s stall. I went to the place at once and found a heavy fall of roof had occurred. Ted Nurse and Tom Smith were the only two men there, the deputy Franklin came very soon after. Kelly and some others were working at the fall from 106s side. We set to and got some stone cleared away and some props set and some sprags between the coal and the fall to hold it, and then proceeded with getting the dirt away to make a way through. The loose stones of the fall were pushing all the time towards the face and were in very large pieces. The place was very uneasy and weighting all the time more or less.’

Harold Gregory’s own statement reads:
‘I am Under Manager at the Colliery. I heard of the fall at about 8:00 a.m. and I went to the place following Hudson, a contractor, and got there at about 8:30 a.m., where I found the place on left side broken down for about 15 yards along the face to the buttock end, and for about 7 yards back towards the goaf from the face. Charles Franklin, the deputy of the District, and Tom Smith and Ted Nurse (Stallmen in 105 stall adjoining) were working at the fall in 105 stall, and John Kelly and John Davis were working at it at the other end of the fall in 106 stall, but they were later withdrawn, as gas was coming off strong and there was a danger of a further fall occurring here. Work was therefore confined to the 105 stall end.
Fieldsend replied to a shout. We set to timber sprags from the coal to hold back the fallen material. We had set about 5 split bars and 2 long props and got close to Fieldsend at bout 10:00 a.m. when a further fall of about 10 tons occurred and closed the place again for 3 yards back. Hudson, Franklin, Nurse, Smith, and myself were engaged in Indian file fashion removing the dirt as there was only room for one man at a time at the place. The place was on weight all the time. We removed the second fall and got to Fieldsend again and could see he was fastened down by a gob prop across his back and neck and there was little dirt on him also. We could not get at him because of a piece of bind at the end of the tub barring progress. As soon as we broke this bind a further fall occurred about 1:30 p.m. This time about 30 tons fell and closed the place again for about 4 yards back; it also pushed 3 or 4 props out about 12 inches at the foot. Work was proceeded with and we got this third face cleared sufficiently by 5:00 p.m. to enable us to get at Fieldsend and pull him out. He was not much injured but was bruised and was taken out of the pit and examined by Dr. Court and then taken home.’

Charles Benjamin Franklin’s own statement adds the following:
‘I am the Day Deputy of the District. I had just got to the jinney top about 200 yards from the stall when I was informed that a fall had occurred in 105s and that a man was buried. I at once went to the place and found a heavy fall had occurred right up to the face and about 15 to 20 yards long and had closed up the gob. I examined both sides of it. No one was working at it then, it was about 7:00 a.m. I started men working at both ends...
At about 5:00 p.m. got through to Fieldsend and dragged him out. Charles Hudson, a stoneman, Ted Nurse and Tom Smith assisted me. We had to work in single file and hand the dirt back to each other as there was only room for one at a time at the front and we took it in turn to work there. The fall had a very steep side and stones kept sliding down from a big cavity in the roof on the right side.’

For their gallantry the five rescuers were invested with their Edward Medals by H.M. the King at Buckingham Palace on 11 July 1916; they were also each awarded £20, and a framed certificate, from the Carnegie Hero Fund Trust.
Sold with copied research.