Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Sea Gallantry Medal (Foreign Services), G.V.R., silver (Fritz Meyer, “Volturno”, 9th October 1913) good very fine £360-400

Fritz Meyer was serving as an Assistant Purser aboard the Seydlitz at the time of the rescue of passengers and crew from the S.S. Volturno in the North Atlantic on 9-10 October 1913.

The Volturno, a British steamer, chartered by the Uranium Steamship Co. of Rotterdam, and bound thence to New York, was engulfed by fire in mid-Atlantic during a heavy gale. Of the 657 on board, 521 were saved by a fleet of eleven steamers that sped to her aid. Heavy seas interfered with the launching of boats, but the difficulty was eventually overcome by the use of oil; those who perished were mostly lost in the boats. The hull of the Volturno was eventually found by a Dutch steamer and scuttled as a dangerous derelict.

Numerous awards were made for this famous rescue, including 78 Sea Gallantry Medals in Silver to crew members of the six British vessels. In addition, the Board of Trade also awarded 152 silver Sea Gallantry Medals (Foreign Services) to the crews serving on foreign vessels at the rescue.