Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society, Fire Medal, silver (To Joseph Vergalen, for gallant service, 14/10/1942) hallmarks for Birmingham 1937, nearly extremely fine £300-350

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Life Saving Awards formed by The Late W.H. Fevyer.

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Ref. Spink Exhibition 1985, No. 150.

Extract from the Society’s records:

‘Silver Medal and Certificate to Joseph Vergalen, for having rescued three persons from a burning house in Windsor Street, on 14th October 1942.

At about midnight on the night of the 13th/14th October, the occupants of No. 53 Windsor Street went to bed with the exception of Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of the house who remained in the kitchen with her fiance, Joseph Vergalen. The kitchen is the front basement room.

Joseph Tierney and his wife were in the front room on the ground floor, while the youngest daughter, Margaret, was in the front room of the first floor.

At about 1.30 a.m. Elizabeth Tierney smelt smoke and went to investigate. On opening the door of the back parlour, the room behind that in which her parents were sleeping, she found the room to be ablaze and screamed. Vergalen ran up and, when he realised that the house was well alight, he went into the front room and brought out Tierney and his wife.

By this time the hallway and stairs were alight, and the police had arrived. A constable tried to get up the stairs to rescue Margaret Tierney but was forced back by flames and smoke. He and another constable then went to the back of the house to force an entrance from the rear. Vergalen, however, forced his way up the stairs through the flames and smoke and got into the room where Margaret was trapped. She was hysterical and almost overcome by smoke. Vergalen caught her as she was about to throw herself from the window and held her till a ladder was reared against the window, down which he carried her to safety.

Vergalen had his hands, arms and face badly burned and was taken to the Royal Infirmary where he was detained for treatment’.