Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Boy Scouts Association Gallantry Cross Second Class pair awarded to Boy Scout O. J. Williams, later Private, Welsh Regiment, for his gallant conduct during the Dalgarrog Dam Disaster, 2 November 1925

Victory Medal 1914-19 (65273 Pte. O. T. [sic] Williams, Welsh R.); Boy Scout Association Gallantry Cross, 2nd Class, 2nd issue, silver, the reverse inscribed, ‘Instructor O. J. Williams, 2/12/24 [sic]’, with integral top riband bar, very fine (2) £600-£800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Boy Scouts Association Gallantry Crosses.

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The disaster which saw the village of Dalgarrog in North Wales, swamped with water, killing 16 people, on the night of 2 November 1925 was caused by the failure of two dams. The Eigiau Dam, a gravity dam, firstly failed, releasing a flood of water from a reservoir; the released water then overwhelmed the Coedty Dam, an embankment dam, downstream, which in turn permitted a torrent of water to flood into Dalgarrog. The disaster led Parliament to pass the Reservoirs (Safety Provisions) Act of 1930.

Sold with a colourful award document for the Silver Cross, awarded to ‘Instructor O. J. Williams, 1st Llansrst Troop, For his gallant conduct on the occasion of the bursting of a dam at Dalgarrog on the night of 2/12/25 [sic]’ and dated 19 March 1926, mounted in a glazed display frame approx. 560mm x 455mm.