Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Captain Henry E. Wall, Royal Naval Reserve, holder of the Lloyd’s silver Medal for Saving Life, the Shipwrecked Mariners Society Medal, the Emile Robins Award, and a gold medal from the Canadian Government

British War Medal 1914-20 (Lieut. H. E. Wall. R.N.R.); Mercantile Marine War Medal (Henry E. Wall.); Victory Medal 1914-19 (Lieut. H. E. Wall. R.N.R.) good very fine (3) £180-£220

Henry Edwin Wall was born in Devonport in 1877, and commenced working as a reader’s assistant with The Western Daily Mercury newspaper. The job was not to his taste and he obtained a seagoing apprenticeship. He was lucky to survive his first voyage, aged 16 years, on the barque Cumbrian (sailing ship) when with two anchors down, she was being dragged to the shore. The rescue rocket apparatus was deployed (one newspaper article states he was rescued by the apparatus, another that he remained on the ship). A tug attended in time to rescue the ship from being wrecked.
He served for 5 years on the Cumbrian and achieved the rank of 2nd mate before transferring to steam vessels. In 1901 he secured his Master’s Ticket and was serving on the Mira (steel four-masted steamer, built 1901).
On 15 December 1902, the Mira was in the North Atlantic, off the Newfoundland Banks, the weather was bad with a moderate gale blowing and a heavy beam sea running. The J. N. Wylde (Canadian schooner) was sighted flying her ensign upside down (the international signal of distress), and on closing it was observed that the top mast and all sail was gone, as was the bowsprit. Her Captain signalled that they were in a bad way with the ship leaking badly, pumps choked, crew crippled and they wished to be taken off.
A life boat from the Mira was lowered being skippered by Wall and manned by five of the crew. After several attempts they managed to take off the crew of nine, the master and his wife (and cat). The conditions were so rough and dangerous it took four and a half hours to make three journeys to get all the crew off, some of whom were suffering from frostbite. The rescue lifeboat took some heavy knocks in the process and the Mira’s second life boat was standing by in case the rescue boat required rescuing.
Due to the condition of the J. N. Wylde, it was decided to sink her as she was a danger to shipping. Hall returned to the derelict ship, boarded and managed to set it alight to sink the ship.
As a result of the rescue effort Captain Hill was awarded the Lloyds Silver Life Saving Medal (1903), The Shipwrecked Mariners Society Medal, the Emile Robins Award for the most meritorious rescue for the year, and also received a gold medal from the Canadian Government. The other members of the boat crew received bronze medals.

Shortly after this he was employed by the Great Western Railway Marine Department (Plymouth), mail and passenger service, commanding the tenders Cheshire, Sir Richard Grenville, Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake. He finished as Dockmaster at Plymouth after working for the company some 35 years and retired in 1938.
During the Great War, the G.W.R. tenders were employed in the examination service and he captained the Atalanta III which was equipped with powerful salvage pumps.
Based at the Isles of Scilly they assisted damaged ships that had been torpedoed or mined. Due to the nature of the work Wall was appointed to a temporary commission as a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy Reserve from June 1917 to March 1920. The Atalanta III was involved in the attempted rescue/salvage of the ‘Q’ ship Dunraven which even though torpedoed was attempting to lure the U boat to the surface. Captain Wall died in March 1939.

Sold with copied research including R.N.R service record, Great Western Railway Employment Records, 1911 census, 1st mate certificate and various newspaper articles.