Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas Stevens, Royal Navy, a winner of the Naval Good Shooting Medal and the recipient of a Royal Humane Society’s Medal for a gallant rescue attempt with the Coast Guard

1914-15 Star (172681 T. Stevens, P.O. 1, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (172681 T. Stevens, P.O. 1, R.N.); Naval Good Shooting Medal, E.VII.R. (172681 T. Stevens, A.B., H.M.S. Doris, 1909, 6 in. B.L.); Royal Humane Society, small bronze medal (Thomas Stevens, 21st Dec. 1922), the first four with contact marks and polished, thus good fine, the last very fine (5) £400-500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals The Property of a Gentleman.

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Thomas Stevens was born in Totnes, Devon in December 1877 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in April 1893. Having then been awarded the Naval Good Shooting Medal during his time aboard the cruiser H.M.S. Doris (May 1909 to December 1911), he was serving as a Petty Officer 1st Class aboard the battleship Centurion at the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914. Remaining similarly employed until coming ashore in April 1915, he returned to sea in his old ship, the Doris, in January 1917, and served in that capacity until December 1918.

Demobilised in May 1919 - and having forfeited his right to the L.S. & G.C. Medal as a result of being disrated back in 1906 - Stevens joined the New Coast Guard Force with an appointment at Blackrock that October, and added the Royal Humane Society’s Medal to his accolades for the following deeds on 21 December 1922:

‘The barge Rosebud had been driven ashore 40 yards out, during a strong gale, with heavy sea and raining. With a rope tied round him, Stevens swam out but just before reaching her was pulled back by those on shore.’

His subsequent award of the Society’s bronze award was approved at a committee meeting held on 13 March 1923 (Case No. 46682 refers). Stevens was pensioned ashore with compensation on the reduction of the New Coast Guard Force in March 1923; sold with a file of research.