Orders, Decorations and Medals

Royal Humane Society, small silver medal (successful), (Cuthbert C. Grundy, 29 July 1870) complete with silver ribbon buckle, edge bruise, otherwise extremely fine £130-150

Case 18,616: ‘3.30 p.m., Friday 29th July, 1870, Blawith Point, Grange-over-Sands, Morecambe Bay, ten to twelve feet water, strong current. John Birkbeck got out of his depth while bathing; his brother Vincent M. Birkbeck, seeing this, swam to his rescue. John Birkbeck thinking only of himself, clutched Vincent in such a manner as not only to prevent him from swimming, but also to drag him down and wellnigh strangle him; both were now being drawn by the current into the open, where the water ran with the speed of a river, V. M. Birkbeck being altogether under water, and John rising and sinking.

It was at this time that C. C. Grundy saw that the brothers were drowning, and went in to try to save them; he managed to separate them, and Vincent M. Birkbeck, who had sufficient strength to reach the shore, so much exhausted that he did not know how this was accomplished; Mr. Grundy succeeded in getting to land, and at the same time bringing John Birkbeck with him.’