The locally significant and very rare Ireland County Waterford Tramore Bay 17 February 1861 rescue of the crew of the Greek Brig San Spiridione Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medal in Silver and accompanying Brownstown man’s January 1858 Brig “La Capricieuse” rescue French Medal of Honour for Saving Life pair awarded to Boatman Alfred Stevens, Her Majesty’s Coast Guard. As of 1851 he was in the Coastguard at Hayling South near Southampton, but then moved post to Ireland, and was stationed at Tramore in County Waterford on the southeast coast. ‘The locals of Tramore were known as Brownstown men, after nearby Brownstown Head that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean’. In January 1858, the French Brig “La Capricieuse” was shipwrecked after it got into difficulties on the bar at Tramore Strand. ‘A local boat from Rhineshark with a crew of four Brownstown men put to sea in an effort to save the crew of the ill-fated vessel. Their boat capsized during the mercy mission and two of the men were drowned together with one sailor from the stricken Brig.’ Four medals were handed to the Mayor of Waterford for this incident, these going to the men who manned the boat, that this the only recorded French ship lost there that year. Those four medals must by a process of deduction have been the French Medal of Honour for Saving Life, with Stevens being one of those gallant participants, and one of the two survivors. This incident had a far wider reach though, and as a result the R.N.L.I. were invoked to supply a Lifeboat and Lifeboat Station there, this being set up in the same year. Stevens was not himself a part of the Lifeboat crew from all accounts when the next medal winning incident occurred. He was fulfilling his duties as a Boatman with the Coast Guard at Tramore, predominantly employed on anti-smuggling duties, but also in keeping people safe from the sea. On the occasion that the Greek Brig San Spiridione from Galaxidhi on the Gulf of the Corinth, laden with coal, was seen ashore in Tramore Bay, he was again to the fore, ink rescuing people from the surf after the vessel broke up. Some four men were awarded the R.N.L.I. Silver Medal for this incident, all voted on 7 March 1861, one being Coxswain Richard O Johns, who would receive the medal a remarkable three times for his actions in command of Tramore Lifeboat. A total of 13 R.N.L.I. Silver Medals were awarded for incidents in Tramore Bay, the first in 1835, the last in 1875.
Pair: Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medal in Silver, 1st type with George IV bust (1824-1862) bust, with the Dolphin suspension (therefore circa 1852-1862) with outer band correctly engraved; (ALFRED STEPHENS. VOTED 7 MARCH 1861.); France - Second Empire: Medal of Honour for Saving Life, Merchant Marine issue, large silver medal, 6th issue by Caqué, with bust of Napoleon III. measuring 44 mm in diameter, rim correctly stamped ‘Argent’, the reverse being embossed: ‘A / Alfred / Stevens / Canotier Gde. Cote. / Irlandais / Services / a la Marine / Marchande / Française / 1858’, fitted with length of original ribbon.
Condition: first with very faint traces of brooch marks on obverse, otherwise Good Very Fine.
Alfred Stevens was the son of a farmer, John Stevens, and was formerly Royal Navy, and employed as a Boatman in Her Majesty’s Coast Guard and stationed and living at Hayling South near Southampton when he married Emma Fleet on 1 January 1851. Stevens then moved with the Coast Guard to Ireland, and was stationed at Tramore in County Waterford on the southeast coast. It was here that he twice distinguished himself by going to the aid of shipwrecked mariners.
A local historical journal takes up the story: ‘The locals of Tramore were known as Brownstown men, after nearby Brownstown Head that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. There was no land mass to stop the big ocean waves from breaking with fury onto the foundations of the Storm Wall and Promenade at Tramore when a storm occurred. Such storms made Tramore a notorious place for shipwrecks, the worst of all being the wreck of the warship Seahorse in 1816, that drowned some 363 of her crew. Tramore had no rescue service in those days, and so the onus was placed on local boatmen to venture forth into the jaws of death and destruction to save mariners from an early grave in Drumcannon or Islandikane.
Such was the case in January 1858 when a French brig “La Capricieuse” got into difficulties on the bar of Tramore Strand. A local boat from Rhineshark with a crew of four Brownstown men put to sea in an effort to save the crew of the ill-fated vessel. Their boat capsized during the mercy mission and two of the men were drowned together with one sailor from the stricken Brig. A local committee was set up to collect funds to help the families of the two men from Brownstown who perished in a gallant attempt to rescue their fellowmen. Four medals were received by the Mayor of Waterford for bestowal on those brave fishermen.
The tragic drowning of the two rescuers shocked local opinion into an awareness of the need of a lifeboat in Tramore Bay, and so the local committee wrote to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution requesting that a lifeboat be place in the Bay. In deference to that request the R.N.L.I. responded by sending Captain Ward R.N., to select the most suitable site for a Lifeboat House. A most of the wrecks were in the eastern end of the Strand, the station was built about 3/4 mile from Tramore on the crest of the Beach about 100 yards beyond high water mark and was completed in 1859 at a cost of £140. It was built of sandstone and all openings were faced with Carlow granite. This boiling would be taken down in 1899.
The first Lifeboat arrived in 1858 and was located at the Railway Station until the Lifeboat House was ready. She was a six-oared single banked craft built by Messrs. Forrest of Limehouse on Peakes design. In January 1861 this Lifeboat made two unsuccessful attempts to reach the “Tycoon” one mile west south west of Brownstown. Less than three weeks later she was called into action in a southerly gale and thick haze when the Brig “San Spiridione” struck in the eastern end of the strand having lost her rudder and sails. Despite the strenuous efforts of the crew the Lifeboat was driven ashore, her crew exhausted. She was launched a second time with a fresh crew and managed to get within a few yards of the stricken vessel when she capsized. Some of the Lifeboat crew held on to the boat and managed to bring her ashore while the others came ashore in their life jackets. The lifeboat went out a third time when the Brig broke up and rescued two sailors. Two more were rescued by the Secretary of the iifeboat, Mr.Budd who rode his horse out through the surf. He was awarded the R.N.L.I. Medal for gallantry. Other recipients were the Coxwain: Richard Johns and a volunteer, Mr. William Reade. Six sailors were drowned in the tragedy.’
This historical journal records that the entire crew of the second Tramore Lifeboat (donated as a replacement to the first boat in 1865) received the ‘a Medal from Louis Napoleon’ for the rescue of the French schooner "Anemone” which had become a total wreck on Rhineshark. This was of course well after the 1858 incident that led to Alfred Stevens receiving his ‘Medal from Louis Napoleon’. Therefore those four medals (two posthumous) presented to the four medals ‘received by the Mayor of Waterford for bestowal on those brave fishermen’ for the case in January 1858 when a French brig “La Capricieuse” got into difficulties on the bar of Tramore Strand, must indicate that these were also bestowed by Emperor Louis Napoleon. As such, despite not being a fisherman as the local article would suggest, Stephens was one of those gallant four who went to the stricken French vessels aid, he being one of the two survivors, from the four men to receive the French Medal of Honour for Saving Life. This incident is important in local history, and it was responsible for the forming of the Lifeboat and its accompanying Lifeboat Station at Tramore.
Stevens was not himself a part of the Lifeboat crew from all accounts when the next medal winning incident occurred. He was fulfilling his duties as a Boatman with the Coast Guard at Tramore, predominantly employed on anti-smuggling duties, but also in keeping people safe from the sea. He may therefore have had considerable involved in the day to day running of the Lifeboat Station there. On the occasion of the next disaster he was initially a shore based observer, before he went on to accompany Mr James Budd, the Honorary Secretary of the Tramore Branch of the R.N.L.I. into the surf to rescue the Greek sailors who were in the water after the “San Spiridione” broke up on 17 February 1861.
Stevens distinguished himself on this occasion, for which he was voted to be awarded the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medal in Silver on 7 March 1861, one of four silver medals to be awarded for this incident, the others, all bearing the same citation, were awarded to Mr James Budd, the Honorary Secretary of the Tramore Branch of the R.N.L.I., and two of the lifeboat men, the Coxswain of the Lifeboat - Richard O. Johns, and a volunteer lifeboat man, William Morris Reade.
The joint citation reads as follows: ’17 February 1861. At daybreak the Greek brig San Spiridione from Galaxidhi on the Gulf of the Corinth, laden with coal, was seen ashore in Tramore Bay, County Waterford, Ireland, where she had been driven during the night in a southerly gale. The Tramore lifeboat was launched trough very high surf, but she had to return to shore with her crew exhausted. Replaced on her carriage, she was drawn to a better position and, manned by another volunteer crew, succeeded in almost closing with the wreck, but the brig’s crew refused to leave her. The lifeboat was upset by a heavy wave, her crew was thrown in to the water - three of them regaining the boat and the other five reached the shore. After a while, the brig started to break up and her crew was thrown in to the surf by the falling masts; the lifeboat was launched for a third time and saved two of them. Two others were saved by Mr. Budd and Mr. Stephens going into the surf, the former on his horse from which he was washed off twice. Mr. Reade was in the lifeboat when she upset and Mr. Johns went out in charge on all three occasions.’
This was not the first instance of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medal in Silver to be award in Tramore Bay. The first was awarded for an incident on 25 November 1835, with another being awarded in 1839. The ones to Budd, Johns, Reade, and Stevens in 1861, were however the first to be awarded after the R.N.L.I. Station had been founded there. Further to this, two awards were made in 1862, one being to Stevens possible boss, Chief Boatman John Donovan, H.M. Coast Guard, and then in 1867 another single medal was given. Two more were awarded in 1868, one of these being the Second-Service Clasp to Coxswain Richard O Johns, who in 1869 remarkably received a Third-Service Clasp to his Silver Medal. Johns was then replaced by Coxswain Stephen Pilcher, who himself was awarded the final Silver Medal given for actions in Tramore Bay in 1875. In all only 13 Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medals in Silver were awarded for this particular area of Ireland, as none have been awarded since Pilcher received his.
