Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Society for the Protection of Life from Fire, 1st type, silver, the reverse engraved ‘To Hy. Geor. Greeves, who (aided by others at the risk of their own lives) rescued several individuals from Death by Fire, at Messrs. King & Witts’ Stores, Southampton, 7th November 1837.’, with swivel-ring suspension, edge bruising, otherwise good very fine £700-£900

Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, June 2005.

The Calamitous Fire at Southampton, 7 November 1837
‘The premises where this catastrophe happened consist of a large brick store, about 60 feet square, comprising four floors besides the basement, and containing a very large stock of turpentine, oils, resin, wax and gunpowder, and other inflammable materials. Adjoining this large store, and connected with it by a kind of room over an iron shed, is a smaller store, under part of which is a stable. It was in this smaller store that the fire was first discovered issuing from the roof. At this time it might have been extinguished by a few buckets of water, but it could only be reached by the engines, and great delay was experienced in getting a supply of water, as is always the case in county towns, and too often, indeed, in London itself. One of the partners of the firm, who lives close by, was instantly aroused, and proceeding to the top floor of the large store, with the assistance of several persons removed all the gunpowder, consisting of about 190lb. This danger now being generally known to be averted, a large number of persons, principally tradesmen and respectable mechanics, volunteered their services to remove as much as possible of the turpentine, oil, &c, from the premises, jointly apprehending the consequences to the neighbourhood should such dangerous materials be offered for the extension of the flames. While engaged in this praiseworthy office, several carboys of turpentine were accidentally broken, spreading, as is its well known property, over the whole floor, and saturating the lower garments of many who were employed in its removal. At this time several engines were actively at work, but, alas! Too late, for the flames had already communicated to the upper floors of the large store. It does not distinctly appear whether the persons engaged below on the ground floor, as above related, were aware of the dangerous proximity of the fire; indeed, it is not to be wondered at, the catastrophe which followed seems to have erased the recollection of preceding circumstances from the minds of most of them. It appears, however, to be pretty distinctly ascertained that the second and third floors at least were in flames some time before the occurrence of the melancholy catastrophe. Suddenly some red-hot materials fell through the apertures in the floor through which goods were hoisted up; a fragment in flame followed, and the whole floor was instantly in a blaze, the flames ascending to the ceiling, and reverberating to the floor again. Several explosions followed, caused it is supposed by the bursting of the carboys of turpentine, and in a few seconds the whole front wall of the building fell into the street. Several persons were literally blown through the open door into the street, others were seen running wildly about with blazing garments, and were necessarily rolled in the kennel to extinguish the flames, and several it was evident were buried under the wall; while of the number whose fate was evidently sealed in the burning building, all shuddered to conjecture. As soon as the ruins could be approached, workmen were set on, and six bodies were dug from the mass of brickwork in front; a seventh, a young man named Sellwood, clerk at the Bank, whose cries for help were heard three hours before he could be released, survived a few days, to expire in horrible tortures. A day or two necessarily elapsed before workmen could be safely employed in the interior, when nine dead bodies in all were found, three of them being burnt to a cinder, so as to be utterly unrecognisable, and the two others being known only by the contents of their pockets and other extraneous indicia. Eight more sufferers have since died in agonies which would almost lead their friends to wish that they had met the quicker fate of those who were pent in the building. Some of these survived nearly a fortnight; and it is apprehended that the melancholy list is not yet complete, as four others still lie in a dangerous state. One person moreover died from the effects of fright, and one of the widows has been deprived of her reason. By this calamity, which casts into shade all previous catastrophes of the kind, at least 70 individuals, including survivors, widows, and children of deceased, and two or three utterly maimed for life, are left dependent on the benevolence of the inhabitants of Southampton, whose property they risked their lives to save...’ (The Times 4 December 1837 refers).

‘Henry George Greeves was awarded the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire’s Silver Medal for his gallantry during the above incident; silver medals were also awarded to Richard Young, William Jones, John Foote, George Carr, Walter Anderson, William York, John Foster, John White, William Whitcher, and police-sergeant Terry, ‘It was stated that on the above melancholy occasion 15 persons perished; eight had since died, and several remained maimed, whose final recovery was doubtful, whilst the lives of 12 individuals had been preserved through the exertions of the above’ (The Times 28 April 1838 refers).

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