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The Sea Gallantry Medal (SGM) (officially the "Medal for Saving Life at Sea", and originally the " Board of Trade Medal for Saving Life at Sea"), is a
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
award for civil gallantry at sea.


History

The Merchant Shipping Act 1854 provided for rewards to lifesavers, leading to the creation of the Sea Gallantry Medal, first struck in 1855. These were to be in gold, silver or bronze, although there is no evidence that the gold version was ever awarded. Early awards were either for "humanity" (where there was little risk to the life of the recipient, for example a captain directing a rescue from his own ship), or for "gallantry" (where there was significant risk to the recipient). Few "humanity" awards were made, and from 1893 such service was recognised by the award of plate or monetary sums. The 1854 Act indicated that the award was to be conferred on those "affording assistance towards the preservation of life and property in cases of shipwreck and distress at sea". In 1887 the Board of Trade further defined the award as "for the rescue of life from shipwreck on the coasts of the United Kingdom, whether the ship is British or foreign", as well as for the "rescue of life from British vessels" in more distant seas. In practice, it was awarded only to seafarers serving with British registered merchant ships. It could be given both for individual gallantry and for collective cases of heroism, for example to each member of a boat's crew. Awards could be made posthumously. Previously worn after campaign and polar medals, since 1929 the Sea Gallantry Medal has been worn with other medals for gallantry and before campaign medals. Recipients received the right to use the post-nominal "SGM" in 1936. The most recent grant of the SGM was a bronze award in 1989. Although not formally abolished, it appears that the award has now fallen into disuse. This is confirmed by the UK Government website relating to nominations for bravery awards, which (in February 2021) only included four bravery awards that the Honours and Appointments Secretariat will consider: the
George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...
,
George Medal The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically ...
, King's Gallantry Medal and the King's Commendation for Bravery.


Appearance

The original medal had a diameter of and was not intended for wear. In 1903 the size was reduced to and a suspension bar added, with the medal worn on the left breast from a wide red ribbon with a white stripe towards each edge. The design of both sizes of medal is the same. The obverse bears the effigy of the reigning sovereign, with the Royal Cypher below, surrounded by the words AWARDED BY THE BOARD OF TRADE FOR GALLANTRY IN SAVING LIFE, (or AWARDED BY THE BOARD OF TRADE FOR SAVING LIFE AT SEA for 'humanity' awards), changing to FOR GALLANTRY IN SAVING LIFE AT SEA on the smaller post-1903 medals. The reverse, which has no inscription, depicts a shipwrecked group, one of whom beckons to a distant lifeboat. The name of the recipient and date of the rescue are inscribed on the medal's edge.


Numbers awarded

A total of 1,237 larger medals were awarded up to 1903, 479 silver, 749 bronze, with nine where the class is not known. From 1903 to 1979, 957 of the smaller type were issued, 480 silver (including one second award clasp) and 477 bronze. After the wearable medal was introduced, those who had received a larger medal after the accession of
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...
were permitted to exchange, a number of recipients doing so.


Notable recipients

* Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock * Captain Edward Evans – later Admiral The Lord Mountevans * Lieutenant Fogarty Fegen – later Captain of and Commodore of Convoy HX 84 * Lieutenant Max Horton – later Admiral Sir Max Horton * Lieutenant John Jellicoe – later Admiral of the Fleet The Lord Jellicoe * Sergeant Ludovicus M. M. Van Iersel – U.S. Army
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
recipient in World War I


Sea Gallantry Medal (Foreign Services)

This award, which pre-dates the Sea Gallantry Medal, was instituted in 1841 for foreigners who saved live from British vessels, although some early awards were for service on land. It was awarded in both gold and silver, with a small number of bronze awards. The original medal had a diameter of and was not intended for wear. In 1854 the size was reduced to and a suspension bar added, the medal worn on the left breast. The ribbon was plain crimson until 1922, when that of the SGM for British citizens was adopted. The design of both the large and small medals is the same, with the obverse bearing the effigy of the reigning monarch with a suitable inscription. The reverse has a crowned wreath surrounding the words PRESENTED BY r FROMTHE BRITISH GOVERNMENT with, around the edge, an inscription indicating the nature of the rescue – for example: saving the life of a British subject or assisting a British vessel in distress. Early issues had a separate reverse die prepared for each medal; a practice dropped from 1849 due to cost. The name of recipient and, in most cases, the place and date of the service rendered is inscribed on the medal's edge. Up to 1854, 228 large medals were awarded, 96 gold, 118 silver and 14 bronze. Since then at least 2,074 small medals have been earned, 285 gold, 1,783 silver and six bronze.Noted by Mussell. Abbott & Tamplin do not mention any small bronze medals. Two recipients have received both gold and silver medals, and one second silver award clasp has been issued. No medals have been bestowed since 1968 and, like the SGM for British citizens, it appears that awards are no longer made, although it has not been formally abolished.


See also

* Mercantile Marine War Medal: also issued by the Board of Trade


Footnotes


External links


The Sea Gallantry Medal, Bernard de Neumann (includes lists of recipients)


* ttps://archive.today/20130415143455/http://www.omrs.org/OrderProduct_52.asp?Customer_Id=87194466 The Sea Gallantry Medal by R.J. Scarlett (2010) {{Former Australian Honours Civil awards and decorations of the United Kingdom Decorations of the Merchant Navy Courage awards Sea rescue in the United Kingdom Awards established in 1855 1855 establishments in the United Kingdom Board of Trade