Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Royal Life Saving Society of Canada Gold Bravery Medal group of eight awarded to Captain J. M. Horton, Lifeboat Commander, Canadian Lifeboat Institution

Royal Life Saving Society of Canada Gold Bravery Medal, British Columbia and Yukon Branch, 10ct. gold, engraved on rev. of ‘Bravery’ suspension bar, ‘Capt. John M. Horton, 1995’; Canadian Lifeboat Institution Donor’s Silver Medal, unnamed; Royal Life Saving Society of Canada Silver Merit Medal, British Columbia and Yukon Branch, unnamed, with ‘Merit’ top riband bar; Royal Life Saving Society of Canada Jubilee Medal 1984, Alberta and N.W. Territories Branch, gilt, unnamed; Royal Life Saving Society of Canada Benefactor Medal, British Columbia and Yukon Branch, silver, unnamed; France, Vienne Life Saving Society Medal (Capt. John M. Horton, 1995), bronze; Austria, Republic, Silver Humanitarian Medal of the Order of Ferdinand (Capt. John M. Horton), white metal; Germany, Federal Republic, Bronze Medal for Humanity of the German Freundeskreis Hoch-und-Deutschmeister 1995, bronze and enamel, unnamed; together with a Royal British Legion, National Service Medal, unnamed; and a Canadian Lifeboat Institution lapel badge, gilt, and a cloth and gilt wire blazer badge, extremely fine (lot) £400-£500

Provenance: Jack Boddington Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, December 2006.

The Royal Life Saving Society of Canada Governor’s Gold Bravery Medal (British Columbia & Yukon Branch) was presented for the most heroic rescue of the year. That awarded to Captain John Horton in 1995 honoured him for a lifetime of service:

‘Each year the Society is proud to honour an individual who rescues another individual. Never before, however, in the history of this Branch have we met a rescuer of such calibre as the man who now stands before you to receive this gold medal, honouring him as the top adult rescuer of 1995. ... Over the past eleven years Captain Horton has donated his time and personal resources to go to the aid of mariners who have experienced difficulties while boating in the most dangerous waterways in the world. As a founding member of the Canadian Marine Rescue Auxiliary unit operating in the mouth of the mighty Fraser River, John has personally attended, on a volunteer basis, over 500 official “incidents” in support of the Coast Guard. Captain Horton provides his private vessel, the Artist’s Life, substantially at his own expense, for the purpose of Search & Rescue in an area surrounding his home in Steveston, B.C. He and his all-volunteer crew go out in all kinds of weather to face many different hazards: fire, dangerous chemical or fuel leaks, shallow water, deadheads, drunken boat owners, angry fishermen etc. Though John has been cursed at, shot at, threatened, attacked and insulted while trying to offer assistance, he has never wavered in his dedication to an individual in trouble. ...’

Sold with a quantity of documentation: R.L.S.S.C. Awards Presentation booklet; original certificates for the R.L.S.S.C. Jubilee and Benefactor Medals; original certificates for the French, Austrian and German medals; photographs; log extracts and other copied research and ephemera.