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Auction: 15003 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals and Militaria
Lot: 227

Royal Humane Society, small silver medal, successful (John Brass. Nov: 20. 1903), with integral top silver riband buckle, edge bruise, otherwise very fine, in fitted case of issue, together with a photographic image of the recipient

Royal Humane Society case no. 33,080: 'On 16 November 1903, at 11:38am, at Sacriston Colliery, Durham, there was a sudden inrush of water into the Colliery, flooding the mine up to the roof for a great distance. Three miners, R. Richardson, J.W. Whittaker and T. McCormick, became trapped underground. From the 16th to the 20th, six miners, including John Brass, kept at their work in their efforts at rescue despite the risk from drowning, fire, damp, foul gas, or falls of stone from the roof. Eventually they were able to save Richardson, after a lapse of 92 hours, but the other two men were drowned. All six miners were awarded the Silver Medal of the Royal Humane Society.

These men were also awarded the Sacriston Inundation Gold Medal, a one-off award for this disaster, there being 54 recipients in total of this award. All the awards were made at the Co-operative Hall, Sacriston, Co. Durham, April 1904.

Mr. John Brass, born Wingate, Durham, 1879; at the time of his gallantry at Sacriston Colliery was serving as Colliery Manager, Primrose Main Colliery; subsequently served as the Manager of Houghton Main Colliery.

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Sold for
£450