Young, Lambton, Acts of Gallantry, reprinted
by Naval and Military Press (1997), hardback, 328 pages.
Fevyer, William H, Acts of Gallantry, Volume 2, 1871-1950, published
by Naval and Military Press (1996), hardback, 182 pages.
It is now a century and a quarter since Lambton Young's original volume
of Acts of Gallantry was published as a detailed account of each
deed of bravery in saving life from drowning in all parts of the world for
which the gold and silver medals and clasps of the Royal Humane Society
have been awarded from 1830 to 1871. Young's work - its numerous omissions
notwithstanding - continues to be an invaluable tool for anyone with an
interest in lifesaving awards and, although it was reprinted in small
numbers
some years ago, it has always been a difficult volume to obtain.
If the scarcity of copies of Lambton Young's book has been a cause of
much unhappiness amongst collectors of lifesaving awards, it has equally long been a matter of regret that no comparable work existed to cover the period afler 1871.
This deficiency has thankfully now been in part addressed by Bill
Feyver, who has produced a volume which deserves to find a place on every serious collector's bookshelf. The work comprises a complete roll of the winners of the RHS Silver Medal and Stanhope Medal from 1871 to 1950, with detailed citations being provided for all 684 recipients. Indices are provided not only of the names of the silver and Stanhope medallists, but also of those
who were awarded bronze medals or testimonials for their supporting roles
in the rescues. The accounts of these rescues contained in the medal
citations
make enthralling reading in their own right, but they also give an acute
insight into the subtly shifting role of the RHS which, by the latter part
of the ninteenth century, was far more closely involved in regarding
gallantry
on land -- for example in collieries, sewers, and blast furnaces -- than
had been the case in its earlier years.
There is much in this volume that will be of interest to marine and
military historians, for the RHS has always been quick to reward members
of the armed services and the officers and men of our merchant and fishing
fleets. The layout is simple, attractive and accessible, and the reader
can be quietly reassured by the author's unrivalled reputation for accurate
and painstaking research. Indeed, a close examination of the volume highlighted
one error, an Italian recipient of the Silver Medal in 1917 being listed
as Lanternari Guido rather than Guido Lanternari. Even here however it would
be unjust to apportion any blame to the author, who is merely guilty of
having perpetuated an error present in the Society's own records.
Bill Fevyer is to be congratulated on his latest work, which must surely
become as indispensible as Lambton Young's. Congratulations are also due
to the Naval and Military Press not only for undertaking the publication
of the second volume of Acts of Gallantry, but also for
simultaneously
having reprinted a limited number of copies of the original work. Work on
a third volume is nearing completion. This will reproduce the citations
for all multiple awards of the Society's bronze medal, in addition to
providing
details of post-1950 Silver Medals and Stanhope awards. Its publication
is eagerly awaited. (Reviewed by Craig Barclay, Secretary, Lifesaving Awards
Research Society)
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