The very rare Anglo-Russian War Baltic 1854 to 1855 and Irish Sea Tyrella, Dundrum Bay, County Down January 1840 Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medal in Silver pair awarded to Boatman later Chief Boatman George Hicks, Coast Guard, formerly Royal Navy. Hicks came from an established local family on the tiny island of St Agnes in the Isles of Scilly off Cornwall, and the southernmost populated island in the United Kingdom. He joined the Royal Navy in March 1826, and for a period was with the famous Falmouth Packet Service, as one of the Royal Navy crew who manned the packets that oversaw the transport of overseas mail. He however transferred to the Coast Guard in July 1838, and after being initially stationed at Falmouth, then travelled to northern Ireland, where he was variously stationed at St. John’s Point, Tyrella, Newcastle, Gunn Island and Portaferry. It was however for an incident in Dundrum Bay on 13 January 1840 when stationed at the Tyrella Coast Guard Station, that he won the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medal in Silver. During a violent storm, the Liverpool schooner Eagle, laden with salt, was wrecked off Tyrella. A rope was sent ashore by buoy and, after it had been secured, Hicks succeeded in getting on board the wreck and sent the Master and crew of seven men to safety by the same rope which was held fast by six fishermen on shore, who stood up to their shoulders in the breakers. Hicks was noted as being ‘universally conspicuous on all occasions of wrecks’ occurring at Tyrella. He latterly served in the Coast Guard on the Isle of Wight, when stationed at Newton and southern Yarmouth. It was during this period that he was recalled to the Royal Navy owing to the outbreak of the Anglo-Russian War, and the saw service in the Baltic aboard the warship Edinburgh, which vessel took part in the bombardment and capture of the Russian fortress of Bomarsund on Åland.
Pair: Baltic Medal 1854-1855, unnamed as issued, ribbon fitted with 19th Century Crimea type laurel leaf ribbon buckle, bearing the manufacturers details for Bailey of Coventry; Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medal in Silver, 1st type without the Dolphin suspension but with George IV bust (1824-1862), outer band correctly engraved; (GEORGE HICKS. VOTED FEBY. 12. 1840.), complete with integral eye and double ring suspension, old ribbon fitted with 19th Century Crimea type laurel leaf ribbon buckle, bearing the manufacturers details for Bailey of Coventry.
Condition: light contact wear, Good Very Fine.
George Hicks was born circa 1812 at St Agnes in the Isles of Scilly, this being the southernmost populated island in this chain, located off the south west coast of Cornwall. As of 2011 there were only 85 recorded residents combined together from both St Agnes and the neighbouring island of Gugh (down from 243 in 1841), these being the southernmost settlements in the United Kingdom. Since early times, many men from St Agnes earned a living as pilots guiding shipping through the English Channel, the other occupation being fishing. The Hicks surname is well recorded on the island of St Agnes, and it seems likely that Barnard Hicks, a Seaman, was a brother or a relative to George Hicks. Barnard Hicks would also win the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medal in Silver, this occurring during the R.N.L.I. Gold Medal winning incident off St Agnes on 4 January 1841.
Hicks joined the Royal Navy on 16 March 1826, when aged 19, and was rated as a Boy 2nd Class with the 120 gun warship Britannia on 27 April 1826, before being rated as an Ordinary Seaman on 1 May 1827. During this period Britannia was stationed at Devonport. He is next recorded as serving aboard the Falmouth based Post Office packet vessel Lyra, a Royal Navy 10 gun sloop converted for service as a fast packet vessel, when he was married to Charlotte Jame Chambert at Falmouth in Cornwall on 30 June 1834. The couple had a daughter, Elizabeth Mary, born on 14 September 1838, and by that time, Hicks was shown to be serving as a Boatman in Her Majesty’s Coast Guard, he having transferred to this service on 16 July 1838, and was initially stationed in Falmouth, before being sent to the station at St. John’s Point on the west coast of northern Ireland. Soon afterwards Hicks found himself posted to the east coast of northern Ireland to the Coast Guard Station at Tyrella in Dundrum Bay, County Down, where he continued to perform the duties of a Boatman, and he soon became ‘universally conspicuous on all occasions of wrecks’ owing to gales in the Irish Sea.
The Coast Guard Station at Tyrella was established in 1821, and it had a Watch House and a terrace of 7 coastguard cottages. It is also sometimes known as Terela.
It was for his gallantry during a violent storm at Tyrella in Dundrum Bay, County Down, Ireland, on 13 January 1840, the led him to be voted on 12 February 1840 to be awarded the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medal in Silver.
The citation reads as follows: ’13 January 1840: During a violent storm, the Liverpool schooner Eagle, laden with salt, was wrecked off Tyrella in Dundrum Bay, County Down, northern Ireland with breakers and surf reaching over her yards. A rope was sent ashore by buoy and, after it had been secured, Mr. Hicks succeeded in getting on board the wreck and sent the Master and crew of seven men to safety by the same rope which was held fast by six fishermen on shore, who stood up to their shoulders in the breakers.’
It was a Captain Robinson who put Hicks up for the award, and who stated that he was ‘universally conspicuous on all occasions of wrecks’ at Tyrella.
Hicks is one of two Tyrella Coast Guard recipients of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Medal in Silver, the other being Hugh Purdy, who earned his medal on 13 October 1845. Two men of the Tyrella Lifeboat, that was only established in 1860, would also received the medal in silver, this being for an incident on 29 November 1874. There have been a number of awards for incidents in Dundrum Bay.
Hicks transferred to the station at Newcastle in County Down in late 1844, and then, following his promotion to Commissioned Boatman, he transferred back over to the east coast of northern Ireland to the station at Gunn Island on 16 August 1847. He was then removed to the nearby station at Portaferry on 19 December 1850.
Hicks was posted back to England and the station at Newton on the Isle of Wight in Hampshire from 28 September 1853, and he was there when he was called back to the Royal Navy owing to the outbreak of the Anglo-Russian War, and the saw service in the Baltic as an Able Seaman aboard the 74 gun screw-powered warship Edinburgh. This ship, served under Admiral Sir Charles Napier during 1854, and was the flagship of Rear-Admiral Henry Ducie Chads, third in command of the fleet, and took part in the bombardment and capture of the Russian fortress of Bomarsund on Åland. Edinburgh also saw service in the Baltic during a second deployment when with the fleet under Admiral Dundas during 1855. Hicks was paid off her, and having been awarded the Baltic Medal 1854-1855, had it sent to him when back with the Coast Guard Station at Newton on 27 March 1857.
Following his promotion to Chief Boatman, Hicks was posted to the southern coast guard station at Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight 22 March 1858, and appears to have remained there until his retirement. Hicks first wife died on 22 April 1860, and as of 1861 she was living with two of his children in Yarmouth, and he then went on to marry a local girl on 2 February 1863. Sarah Warder, who was also a widower and they remained together until his death on 29 March 1889 at Newport, Isle of Wight.
