A superb ‘Great Gale’ of November 1893 Sea Gallantry Medal, Egyptian War bombardment of Alexandria, Great War Service and Royal Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal group awarded to Boy 1st Class, later Commissioned Boatman and finally Petty Officer 2nd Class Edward W. Smith, Royal Navy who would be present aboard HMS Monarch at Alexandria during the Bombardment of the fort on 11th July 1882, later being awarded the Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal whilst attached to H.M.S. Vivid. He would subsequently join the Coastguard, initially as a Boatman at Sandwich, Kent, and would be awarded the Sea Gallantry Medal Bronze for his bravery during the Great Gale of November 1893, when he was asked to help man the Sandwich coastguard gig, a fast open wooden rowing boat to rescue the only crew member still aboard the ‘Eclipse; which had crashed into rocks of Ramsgate, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s Journal later stating: the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s Journal reads: ‘They were unable, owing to the gale, to reach the vessel, finally losing sight of her and returned ashore, At daylight she was seen again. They at once put off, and with much difficulty and danger rescued the only man on board. The medal and £3 were awarded to each of the crew for their bravery and ‘gallantry for saving lives at sea..’ He would later see service during the Great War aboard HMS Wallaroo and then HMS Dido.
Group of 7: Sea Gallantry Medal in Bronze, 1st issue, Board of Trade type with Victoria bust; (EDWARD W. SMITH. WRECK OF THE “ECLIPSE” ON THE 19TH NOVEMBER 1893.) Egypt Medal 1882-1889, dated reverse, 1 Clasp: Alexandria 11th July; (E.W. SMITH. BOY. 1. CL. H.M.S. “MONARCH”.) 1914-1915 Star; (113536 E.W. SMITH. P.O.2. R.N.) British War Medal and Victory Medal; (113536 E.W. SMITH. P.O.2. R.N.) Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, Victoria narrow suspender; (E.W. SMITH. LDG. SEA. H.M.S. VIVID.) Khedive’s Star, dated 1882.
Condition: Good Very Fine
Along with:
One card mounted photograph of the recipient’s family including the recipient himself.
Two small photographs of the recipient, one alone and one with his family in a rowing boat, the reverse dated 8th May 1930.
Edward Winsor Smith was born in Rye, near Hastings on 1st November 1864 and joined the Royal Navy on 13th October 1980 initially service with St. Vincent as a Boy 2nd Class until 29th May 1882, and being advanced to Boy 1st Class on 2nd November 1881.
He would then transfer to Minotaur between 30th May 1882 and 29th June 1882 when he joined Monarch. With Monarch he would serve in Egypt during the Egyptian War of 1882 and would take part in the bombardment of Alexandria on 11th July 1882 and being appointed an Ordinary Seaman on 1st November 1882. He would leave Monarch for Cruiser on 2nd December 1883, serving with her until 9th December 1884, then Invincible from 10th December 1884 until 18th January 1885, Monarch from 19th January to 25th April 1885 being promoted Able Seaman on 1st February 1885, Thunderer from 26th April until 11th September 1885, Duke of Wellington from 12th September 1885 until 22nd October 1885, Excellent from 23rd October 1885 until 25th November 1886, Duke of Wellington from 26th November until 11th December 1886, Sultan from 12th December 1886 until 7th April 1889, Cruiser from 8th April 1889 until 24th February 1890, Duke of Wellington from 25th February to 7th April 1890, Boscawen from 8th April 1890 until 27th May 1891 being promoted Leading Seaman on 4th April 1891.
Subsequently he would serve with the Duke of Wellington from 28th May 1891 from 30th June 1891, Nile from 1st July 1891 to 10th September 1892, Vivid I from 11th September 1892 until 22nd January 1893, Hotspur from 23rd January 1893 until 20th March 1893.
He would then serve with the Harwich Coastguard as a Boatman at Sandwich, Kent from 21st March 1893 until 13th March 1896. It was whilst with the Coast Guard at Sandwich that he would be involved in rescuing the only man aboard off a vessel during the “Great Gale”, on 19th November 1893.
‘The storm that hit Britain in November 1893 was dubbed “The Great Gale” and lasted from 17th – 21st November 1893, dwarfing many of our present day storms. Wind speeds hit a then unprecedented velocity of 115mph during squalls and stayed at 95mp for hours on end.
Coastguard and lifeboats were called out around the British Isles, from Scotland to Cornwall. Around 140 vessels were wrecked and 335 lives lost. However, 600 sailors were rescued by brave seaman, coastguard and lifeboat crews who rowed out into the storm again and again.
The storm was most intense over the night November 18th-19th, which was then the Eclipse ketch (a two masted cargo boat, sometimes with a steam engine) crashed into rocks off Ramsgate and was stranded in mountainous seas.
Edward Smith, who lived in Whitstable and then worked as a coastguard and fisherman all around the Kent coast, was asked by the Chief Officer of H.M. Coastguard, Frank Kent, who lived at St. Margaret’s at Cliffe, to help man the Sandwich coastguard gig - a fast, open wooden rowing boat.
Smith was 29 years old and father of a daughter, his wife Elizabeth was round six months pregnant with their second child. Kent and Smith were joined by C. Huxstep, J. Kelcher and J. Noble and they pushed off into the freezing waves at night. An extract from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s Journal reads:
‘They were unable, owing to the gale, to reach the vessel, finally losing sight of her and returned ashore, At daylight she was seen again. They at once put off, and with much difficulty and danger rescued the only man on board. The medal and £3 were awarded to each of the crew for their bravery and ‘gallantry for saving lives at sea..
He would then serve at Leigh from 14th March 1896 until 10th March 1900 being promoted to a Commissioned Boatman on 26th February 1900. He would serve at St. Margarets from 11th March 1900 until 21st May 1900 and then Sheerness from 22nd May 1900 until 29th May 1903. Transferring to the Eastern Division he would remain at Sheerness until 5th June 1905 when he moved to Whitstable and subsequently saw out his service until 20th September 1909 when he was pensioned.
He would join the Royal Fleet Reserve at Chatham on 9th October 1909 and would be recalled on the outbreak of war initially serving as a Petty Officer 2nd Class at Pembroke from 7th September until 27th November 1914, and then Wallaroo from 28th November 1914 until 16th February 1915, he would return to Pembroke from 17th February 1915 util 27th April 1915 when he transferred to Dido for the rest of the war. He would be discharged from Hecla on 1st March 1919.
