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Auction: 14002 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals and Militaria
Lot: 3

A Fine 'Mining' Albert Medal, 2nd Class, for Gallantry in Saving Life on Land to Samuel Spruce, An Engineer from Tamworth Pit Who Came to the Aide of Those Trapped by the Baddesley Colliery Disaster, 2.5.1882
Albert Medal, 2nd Class, for Gallantry in Saving Life on Land, bronze and enamel, the reverse officially engraved, 'Presented in the name of Her Majesty to Samuel Spruce Mining Engineer for endeavouring to save life At The Baddesley Colliery May 1882', reverse of the crown with maker’s cartouche Phillips Cockspur S, and officially numbered 'No. 51', extremely fine, with original narrow riband, gold top riband bar and in Phillips Bros. & Son named leather case of issue

sold with a privately printed booklet entitled Albert Medals For Bravery On Land, Awarded By Her Majesty The Queen, For Conspicuous Gallantry Displayed On The Occasion Of The Fire And Explosion At Baddesley Colliery, In May 1882 - printed at the expense of the Chesterfield and Derbyshire Institute of Mining, Civil, and Mechanical Engineers, 1883 (lot)

A.M. London Gazette 12.1.1883 Mr. Samuel Spruce, Minining Engineer, in joint citation with Reuben Smallman, Mining Engineer; Arthur Henry Stokes, Inspector of Mines; Charles Day, Collier and Charles Chetwynd, Collier (all Albert Medals First Class); and to Frederick Samuel Marsh, Certified Colliery Manager; Thomas Harry Mottram, Certified Colliery Manager; William Morris, Collier; William Pickering, Collier and Joseph Chetwynd, Collier (all, like Spruce, Albert Medals Second Class), 'For conspicuous gallantry displayed on the occasion of the Fire and Explosion at the Baddesley Colliery in May last.'

Heroic Endeavour by D.V. Henderson, G.M., offers further insight on the Baddesley (also known as Baxterley) Colliery Disaster, 'At 9am an explosion centred around a small water pump intensified the problems previously created by a fire which had been raging for several hours. The fire had trapped nine men on the night shift and an attempt to reach them was in progress at the time of the explosion which caused serious injuries amongst the rescuers. Half an hour later a second rescue party led by Arthur Henry Stokes went down to deal with casualties and the effects of the explosion having to cope with dense smoke and carbon dioxide fumes. They were also joined by uninjured members of the first party but work had to be abandoned in the afternoon due to the dense smoke and gas.'

The biographical section on Spruce in the privately printed booklet included with the lot states, 'Mr Samuel Spruce, mining engineer, Tamworth, on hearing of the fire at the Baddesley Colliery, and that nine miners were entombed, hastened to the spot, in the hope that his long and varied experience might be of service. On arriving at the pit top, he found that an explosion had occured, and that many explorers were burned, and that Mr. Dugdale, with others, was still in the mine. After receiving an account of the accident from Mr. Smallman, he immediately volunteered to go down, and with Mr. Stokes organised and assisted in the first party which entered the pit after the explosion, and proceeded along that perilous route already described until Mr. Dugdale was found and rescued. Having no personal acquaintance with the workings of the colliery, being far advanced in life, and knowing so well the imminent danger incurred by anyone entering the mine, he displayed an act of conspicuous bravery.'

A letter (held by the Warwickshire County Record Office) written by Frederick Marsh (the Colliery Manager) to a Miss Gilbert, dated 14.6.1882 gives the following, 'still further in were nine men and a boy, who could not get past the fire in consequence of the smoke, so a party of 36 explorers went to find them and help them out, but whilst doing so a terrific explosion of gas occurred, some distance away but the flames completely filled the roads, and there was nothing to breathe but one dense mass of flame, all were heavily scorched and burnt it was just at this time I arrived at the pit with the inspector and was volunteered to go down and get them out but just as we were starting down the pit another mass of gas exploded and filled everywhere with flame, but by stuffing our caps in our mouths we managed not to breathe any of it, and burying our faces in our coat sleeves were not burnt except a little hair, so we made another attempt and got out pretty easily. 33 of the explorers all alive could not possibly be alive so we closed them in and shut up the pit where they will be for some some weeks yet, as well as 11 horses that were burnt, it was the most sickly sight to be imagined.'

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Sold for
£6,500