Orders, Decorations and Medals

The Gallantry Fund Award, silver, 38 mm, the reverse inscribed (James Rowley, Decr. 15. 1894) in fitted case of issue, good very fine and very rare £200-300

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the collection of the late Mike Leahy.

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The following report was published in Today on 10 November 1894: ‘I am sending three guineas from the Gallantry Fund (and a medal will follow) to James Rowley, an employee at Mr Whiteley’s, who was instrumental, a little while ago, in saving four lives at Sheerness. Mr Rowley is an expert swimmer, but he had to plunge into deep water with all his clothes on, and to rescue four struggling people - two lads and both their parents - none of whom could swim, and who were naturally in a state of mortal terror. The fear was that he would become exhausted before he could possibly land the whole of them, or that they in their frantic efforts would pull him down; but the gallant fellow seems never to have thought of that, and to have stuck to his task till everyone was safe on shore.’

The Gallantry Fund Award was issued by a general interest magazine entitled Today, published from 1893 to 1905. The editor of Today for the period 1893-97 was Jerome K. Jerome, author of Three Men in a Boat and other popular titles.