Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Second Cabin Steward Frederick W. Beecroft, S.S. City of Nagpur, for services in rescuing the passengers and crew of the S.S. Euphrates that had become stranded on the Island of Socotra, Indian Ocean, 13 September 1915

Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society, Marine Medal, 3rd type, silver (To Fredk. W. Beecroft, S.S. “City of Nagpur” for Gallant Service, 13th Sep. 1915) with silver buckle on ribbon, in Oldfields, Liverpool case of issue; France, Medal of Honour, Ministry of Marine, bronze, reverse inscribed, ‘F Walkern Beecroft 1915’, complete with distinctive ribbon, extremely fine (2) £200-250

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

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The S.S. Euphrates, of Marseilles, with over 600 people on board, had become stranded on a reef at the east end of the island of Socotra, 11 September 1915. At 9.50 p.m. on the 11th, a lifeboat from the stricken vessel was sighted by the S.S. City of Nagpur, of Liverpool, en-route from Suez Bay to Colombo. Picking up the lifeboat the City of Nagpur made for Socotra. On the following three days boats brought off all but one of the passengers and crew of the Euphrates (one man committed suicide), the City of Nagpur being assisted by boats from the steamships Tambora and Collegian. For his services in the rescue operations, Second Cabin Steward Beecroft was awarded the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society’s Marine Medal in Silver and from the French authorities he received a Medal of Honour in Bronze.

With copied papers from the Official Log Book of the City of Nagpur - which lists the ship’s crew, ports of call and the rescue operations; also a copied list of the French medals awarded in respect of the rescue (ref. BT261/8).