Heroes of Peace: The Royal Humane Society and the Award of Medals in Britain, 1774-1914 Craig Peter Barclay Heroes of Peace: The Royal Humane Society and the Award of Medals in Britain, 1774-1914 Craig Peter Barclay Degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of York Department of History September 2009 Heroes of Peace: The Royal Humane Society & the Award of Medals in Britain, 1774-1914 Abstract The Royal Humane Society was founded in 1774 as Britain‟s first primary aid organisation. In addition to researching and disseminating information on the treatment of the apparently dead, it took practical steps both to prevent accidents and to reward individuals who saved others from drowning or asphyxiation. The Society and its work were widely admired and imitated both within the United Kingdom and overseas, whilst the medal which it established in 1775 to reward such deeds became the first British bravery medal to be widely distributed to both men and women of all social classes and also served as a model both for other societies and the Crown. Unlike continental countries such as France, Britain had been slow to adopt the medal as a means of rewarding and encouraging bravery. Official interest in the use of medals to encourage loyalty to the Crown and to reward valour was prompted by the army‟s experiences in the Crimea, whilst the extension of such rewards to cover deeds of civil bravery was in part driven by public demand, although control of the distribution of these rewards remained firmly in the hands of middle and upper-class men, who imposed their own value systems on the deeds which they reviewed. An analysis of both official and unofficial rewards shows that working class, female and non-white rescuers were under-represented. The tales of working class medallists were however of particular interest to the writers of improving tracts, who fashioned „exemplary lives‟ around the bones of the stories of honoured workers. This in turn led to the creation of a new breed of working- class heroes, whose stories were widely distributed with the intention of providing acceptable role models for the labouring classes. This represented a radical departure from previous models of heroism, which had been sharply focussed on leaders and warriors drawn from the echelons of the ruling elite. Until the outbreak of the Great War, the majority of bravery medals awarded each year were given by private societies in recognition of civilian bravery. This dominance ended in 1914, when conscription and wholesale slaughter altered forever the popular perception of courage. 1 Heroes of Peace: The Royal Humane Society & the Award of Medals in Britain, 1774-1914 Contents Abstract 1 List of Contents 2 List of Tables 4 List of Illustrations 6 Acknowledgements 8 Declaration 10 Introduction 11 Chapter 1: The Royal Humane Society: 35 Origins and Development Chapter 2: The Royal Humane Society: Medals 67 Chapter 3: Rewards for Courage I: 115 Philanthropic & Commercial Chapter 4: Rewards for Courage I: Government 203 Chapter 5: Medals and Medallists 246 Conclusion 343 Bibliography 368 Appendices 404 APPENDIX 1: Royal Humane Society Medal: 405 Recorded Specimens, 1776-1825 APPENDIX 2: Royal Humane Society Silver Medals: 407 Status/ Occupation of Recipient APPENDIX 3: Royal Humane Society Silver Medals: 412 Nature of Rescue APPENDIX 4: Royal Humane Society Silver Medals: 417 Location of Rescue 2 Heroes of Peace: The Royal Humane Society & the Award of Medals in Britain, 1774-1914 APPENDIX 5: Royal Humane Society Silver Medals: 422 Additional Data APPENDIX 6: Royal Humane Society: 427 Stanhope Medal, 1873-1914 APPENDIX 7: Royal Humane Society Silver Medals: 429 Awarded 1830-1914 APPENDIX 8: Royal Humane Society Silver Medals: 471 Summary of Awards by Decade, 1830-39 APPENDIX 9: Royal Humane Society Silver Medals: 473 Summary of Awards by Decade, 1840-49 APPENDIX 10: Royal Humane Society Silver Medals: 475 Summary of Awards by Decade, 1850-59 APPENDIX 11: Royal Humane Society Silver Medals: 477 Summary of Awards by Decade, 1860-69 APPENDIX 12: Royal Humane Society Silver Medals: 479 Summary of Awards by Decade, 1870-79 APPENDIX 13: Royal Humane Society Silver Medals: 481 Summary of Awards by Decade, 1880-89 APPENDIX 14: Royal Humane Society Silver Medals: 483 Summary of Awards by Decade, 1890-99 APPENDIX 15: Royal Humane Society Silver Medals: 485 Summary of Awards by Decade, 1900-09 APPENDIX 16: Royal Humane Society Silver Medals: 487 Summary of Awards by Decade, 1910-14 APPENDIX 17: Royal Humane Society: 489 Summary of Stanhope Medal Awards, 1873-1914 APPENDIX 18: Royal Bronze Medals: 491 Status/ Occupation of Recipient APPENDIX 19: Royal Bronze Medals: 493 Women and Non-white Recipients APPENDIX 20: Albert Medal: 494 Summary of Awards 1866-1914: Status/Occupation of Recipient APPENDIX 21: Lifesaving Awards to New Zealanders: 495 Female Recipients APPENDIX 22: Lifesaving Awards to New Zealanders: 496 Maori Recipients APPENDIX 23: Representations of Women on 497 Lifesaving Medals APPENDIX 24: Representations of Men on 499 Lifesaving Medals 3 Heroes of Peace: The Royal Humane Society & the Award of Medals in Britain, 1774-1914 Tables Chapter 2: The Royal Humane Society: Medals 1. RHS Awards 1894 113 Chapter 3: Rewards for Courage I: Philanthropic & Commercial 1. References to RHS in The Times 117 2. RNIPLS: Early Honorary Gold Medals 132 3. RNLI Income per Medal Issued: 1824-1914 141 4. Bristol Humane Society: Rewards 154 5. The RHS of New Zealand: Awards 1899-1915 202 Chapter 4: Rewards for Courage I: Government 1. Foreign Services Medal: 1841-1910 207 2. Sea Gallantry Medal 1856-1910 210 3. Albert Medal: 1st Class Awards 1866-1914 225 4. Albert Medal: 2nd Class Awards 1866-1914 225 5. Wreck of the Syria: Medallic Rewards 228 6. Edward Medals: 1908-1914 234 7. Hulton Colliery Disaster 1910: Awards Granted 235 8. King‟s Police Medal: Metropolitan Police 1910-14 240 9. Naval and Military Awards for Gallantry: 1914-20 242 10. Naval and Military Awards for Distinguished Service 242 or Gallantry: 1914-20 11. Official Lifesaving Awards: 1914-19 243 12. RHS Medals: 1914-19 244 Chapter 5: Medals and Medallists 1. Laura Lane: Heroes of Everyday Life 255 2. RHS Bronze Medals: Status/ Occupation of Recipient as Listed 268 in Annual Reports (Percentage of Awards) 3. RHS Silver Medals: Status/ Occupation of Recipient 269 (Percentage of Awards) 4. RHS: Rewards Voted 1837 270 5. RHS: Rewards Voted 1894 271 6. RHS Silver Medals: Status/ Occupation of Recipient 271 (Percentage of Awards by Representative Decades) 7. Wreck of the Admiral Berkley: Rewards Given 276 8. Gallantry Fund: Cash Rewards 278 9. Albert Medals 1866-1914 281 10. Albert Medal Awards 1866-1914: Female Recipients 285 11. RNLI Medals to Women 289 12. RHS Silver Medals to Women: 1830-1914 293 4 Heroes of Peace: The Royal Humane Society & the Award of Medals in Britain, 1774-1914 13. RHS Awards to Women: 1894 Annual Report 298 14. RHS Medals to Women 1844-1904 299 15. RHS Silver Medals to Women (by Decade) 300 16. Newspaper Awards to Women: 1885-1904 303 17. RHS of New Zealand: Awards to Women: 1899-1914 304 18. RHS Silver Medals: Awards to Children 308 19. RHS Bronze Medals: Awards to Children, 1914 310 20. Albert & Edward Medals: Awards to Children 311 21. Newspaper Awards to Children: 1885-1904 312 22. Albert Medal: Awards to Non-Europeans, 1866-1914 318 23. Edward Medal: Awards to Non-Europeans, 1908-1914 319 24. RHS Silver Medals to Non-Europeans: 1900-1909 325 25. RHS Silver Medals: Awards to Non-Europeans 325 26. RHS Bronze Medals: Non-European Recipients 326 27. RHS Bronze Medals: Non-European Recipients, 1904 & 1914 328 28. RHS Awards 1894: Indian Cases 329 29. RHS: Awards to Maoris, 1851-1882 331 30. RHS of Australasia: Awards to Maoris, 1881-1914 331 31. RHS of New Zealand: Awards to Maoris 1899-1914 332 32. RHS Silver Medals: Nature of Rescue (Percentage of Awards) 334 33. Nature of Rescue: Order of St John Lifesaving Medals: 334 1874-1914 34. Nature of Rescue: Newspaper Awards 336 35. RHS Silver Medals: Awards for Saving Life from Drowning 337 (Percentage of Awards) 36. Nature of Rescue: Published Compilations 337 37. Scope of Lifesaving Awards 338 5 Heroes of Peace: The Royal Humane Society & the Award of Medals in Britain, 1774-1914 Illustrations Chapter 1: The Royal Humane Society: Origins and Development 1. Italian print of William Hawes 42 2. Thomas Cogan 42 3. Nineteenth century print of RHS Receiving House 61 Chapter 2: The Royal Humane Society: Medals 1. RHS Medal 69 2. Medals of the Humane Societies of Northampton and 71 the Hundred of Salford 3. Post-1837 RHS Bronze Medal 80 4. Legion d‟Honneur 89 5. HEIC Medal for Seringapatam, 1799 91 6. Order of the Bath and Waterloo Medal 93 7. SFMRBS Membership Medal 95 8. Post-1867 Medal with 2nd award clasp 111 Chapter 3: Rewards for Courage I: Philanthropic & Commercial 1. Prominent press coverage of an industrial accident 120 2. RNIPLS/RNLI Medal: signed “W WYON MINT” 131 3. SFMRBS Lifesaving Medal 135 4. RNIPLS Gold Medal 142 5. Reverse of LSHS medal 146 6. Wall plaque and print copying Wyon‟s design 147 7. LSHS Fire Medal 150 8. LSHS General Medal and Victoria Cross 151 9. Post-1852 RSPLF Medal 158 10. Death of Braidwood 160 11. Lifesaving Medal of the Order of St John and 170 badge of a member 12. Gallantry Fund Medal 179 13. Postcard image of Mary Wheatland 181 14. Carnegie Hero Fund Medal 189 15. French lifesaving award, 1881 194 16. Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire 195 Indian Empire Chapter 4: Rewards for Courage I: Government 1.