The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection

An Order of St. John Lifesaving Medal and Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Fire Medal pair awarded to Police Constable Thomas Prince Millward, Liverpool City Police

Order of St. John Lifesaving Medal, 2nd type, silver (Presented to Thomas Prince Millward on 11th July 1900); Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Fire Medal, silver (P.C.300D Thos. P. Millward for gallantly rescuing a man from being burnt to death at the Stanley Dock Railway Bridge on 15/6/99) with silver buckle on ribbon, good very fine (2)
£1200-1500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection.

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Ex Fevyer Collection, D.N.W. 25 September 2008. Ref. Spink Exhibition 1985, Nos. 148 & 171.

‘On June 15th 1899, at 1.20 a.m., P.C. [Millward] hearing the cries for help on the Stanley Road Railway Bridge, and noticing flames and smoke, proceeded to the Bridge, and was told that a workman named Harver was down a manhole of the bridge, from which the flames and smoke were issuing, he having dropped a candle which had set fire to a bucket of tar. The P.C. endeavoured to go down the hole, but was driven back by the fire. Another P.C. thereupon poured a bucket of water down and partially extinguished the flames. P.C. Millward then went down the hole, but owing to its being so narrow, he was unable to get hold of the man, and he had to be pulled back again overcome by the smoke; he again went down and succeeded in getting hold of the man by the coat, but on those above hauling him out the cloth gave way, and Harver fell back again. P.C. then went down with a rope and placed it round Harver’s body. P.C. was then pulled out of the hole in an exhausted condition. On Harver being hauled up by the rope it gave way, and he was once more precipitated to the bottom. In the meantime, P.C. having recovered, a fourth time descended the hole and readjusted the rope, when they were both successfully got to the top, and conveyed in the horse ambulance to the Northern Hospital, where it was found that the rescued man was seriously burnt all over the body and that P.C. was suffering from a burn on the right hand and abrasion of the skin on the right knee. For his gallant action P.C. Millward was awarded the Society’s Silver Fire Medal, £2, and an Illuminated Vote of Thanks’ (Extract from the L.S.H.S. 60th Annual Report).

Sold with original illuminated document of award for the St. John Lifesaving Medal.