The rare Ireland County Wicklow Arklow Niger Head 27 February 1848 Irish Sea Storm Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medal in Silver and Anglo-Russian War Baltic Medal pair awarded to Boatman later Chief Boatman James Dillon, Her Majesty’s Coast Guard, sometime Able Seaman in the Royal Navy. Dillon was from Queenstown, now Cobh, Cork, Ireland, and became the first recipient of the five Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medals in Silver to be awarded for incidents at Arklow. On 27 February 1848, during a severe storm the ship Calypso, bound from Liverpool to Rio de Janiero, was driven ashore at Niger Head, near Arklow, with her crew taking refuge in the main and mizzen rigging, some 18 men in all. Dillon waded into the pounding surf but was twice thrown back on the beach. He tried once again and succeeded in getting a line on board and with the sea breaking over the mizzen mast, the Master and all the crew were brought ashore safely. His medal was voted for on 6 April 1848, but whilst some 10 wounded be voted in that, Dillon’s was one of only two earned during 1848, and the only one for Ireland. In addition he received the sum of £2. The waters around the Arklow shore were particularly treacherous, and the Arklow Bank was a notorious ten-mile stretch that claimed the lives of many a seafarer who tried to navigate around it, and as a consequence of this and the high volume of shipwrecks and groundings, the Inspector General of the Coast Guard saw fit that a lifeboat station would be founded in Arklow, this being the first of its kind in Ireland. He saw extensive service in the Baltic during the Anglo-Russian War, and on his rejoining the Coast Guard, was with the station at Cahore, when he participated in the rescue of the merchant vessel Pearl of Cork, which became stranded on the Button Rocks on 6 April 1858, for which event he was further awarded the Sea Gallantry Medal in Silver and £2 from the Mercantile Marine Association. He was latterly the Chief Officer with the station at Whitegate when he died in service on 28 March 1863.
Pair: Baltic Medal 1854-1855, unnamed as issued, complete with old ribbon and two-pronged silver brooch buckle; Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medal in Silver, 1st type without the Dolphin suspension but with George IV bust (1824-1862), outer band correctly engraved; (JAMES DILLON. VOTED, APRIL 6TH. 1848.), complete with integral eye and double ring suspension, old ribbon, and two-pronged silver brooch buckle.
Condition: Good Very Fine.
Provenance: ex J. Lawson Whalley Collection.
James Dillon appears to have been born on 20 July 1820 in Queenstown, now Cobh, Cork, Ireland. He appears to have initially worked as a sailor in the merchant navy and while in Rio de Janeiro first volunteered for the Royal Navy, and saw service as an Able Seaman aboard the 46 gun frigate H.M.S Stag from 6 May 1839, and remained aboard her until 21 April 1841 when he transferred on the following day to the 74 gun warship H.M.S Cornwallis. The following month, on 26 May 1841, he was discharged from the ship and also the Royal Navy at his own request. He appears to have then spent some time back with the merchant navy, and ended up at Valparaiso, Chile, where he was when he rejoined the Royal Navy as an Able Seaman aboard the 28 gun frigate H.M.S Talbot on 4 November 1842, and he was still aboard her when appointed to Sailmaker’s Crew on 15 August 1844, and to Captain of the Mizen Top on 15 September 1844. He was further made Sailmaker’s Mate on 20 November 1845, before being discharged from Talbot on 26 March 1847. Some two months later, on 31 May 1847, he secured an appointment in Her Majesty’s Coast Guard.
Initially employed as a Boatman with Her Majesty’s Coast Guard at the station at Jack’s Hole, County Wicklow, in the following year he transferred to the station at Arklow in County Wicklow, on the east coast of Ireland, where he was when he distinguished himself on 27 February 1848, for which he was voted to be awarded the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medal in Silver on 6 April 1848. His was one of only two Silver Medals awarded for incidents that occurred during 1848, though 10 would be voted for during the year, and two on the same date. Dillon’s award would be unique for this incident.
The citation reads as follows: ’27 February 1848: During a severe storm the ship Calypso, bound from Liverpool to Rio de Janiero, was driven ashore at Niger Head, near Arklow, County Wicklow, Ireland, her crew taking refuge in the main and mizzen rigging. Mr. Dillon waded into the pounding surf but was twice thrown back on the beach. He tried once again and succeeded in getting a line on board and with the sea breaking over the mizzen mast, the Master and all the crew were brought ashore safely.’
Dillon was also voted to receive the sum of £2 for his efforts. In all some 1,564 Silver Medals have been awarded between 1824 and the present day. Dillon’s award was the first of five Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medals in Silver to be awarded for Arklow.
The lifeboat station was established by the RNLI in 1826 and was the first of its kind in Ireland. Numerous lives have been saved due to the hard work and dedication of the stations volunteers. The waters around the Arklow shore were particularly treacherous and desperately in need of protection. The Arklow Bank was a notorious ten-mile stretch that claimed the lives of many a seafarer who tried to navigate around it, and as a consequence of this and the high volume of shipwrecks and groundings, the Inspector General of the Coast Guard saw fit that a lifeboat station would be founded in Arklow. The station opened its doors in 1826 but closed again briefly from 1830 – 1857 when the station was relocated to Newcastle.
Dillon was rapidly promoted to Commissioned Boatman on 13 July 1848, but then found himself returned to active duty with the Royal Navy at the time of the outbreak of the Anglo-Russian War, and saw service in the Baltic as an Able Seaman aboard the 70 gun ship of the line, H.M.S Boscawen, which ship he joined on 7 March 1854. He was out in the Baltic and present for the action when the Russian brig Patrioten and the merchant vessel Victor were captured on 15 and 16 April 1854, gaining a share of the Prize Money awarded for these captures. Dillon transferred via H.M.S. St. George to H.M.S. Royal George on 2 July 1854, and officially joined this vessel on 9 July, and seeing further action in the Baltic. His Baltic Medal 1854-1855 was subsequently issued to him through the roll for H.M.S. Boscawen, this being sent to him on 21 April 1857 when at the Coast Guard station at Arklow. Dillon had left H.M.S Royal George on 30 April 1856, and having returned to Arklow, was based at Cahore from 5 February 1857.
It was whilst he was stationed at Cahore, that he participated in the rescue of the merchant vessel Pearl of Cork, which became stranded on the Button Rocks on 6 April 1858, for which event he was further awarded the Sea Gallantry Medal in Silver and £2 from the Mercantile Marine Association. Dillon then transferred to the station at Ballymoney on 22 February 1861 as it’s Chief Boatman-in-Charge. On 20 January 1863 he was promoted to Chief Officer (2nd Class) and was then posted to Whitegate on 5 February 1863. He did not however enjoy his promotion for long, as he died whilst at the station on 28 March 1863.
