Sea Gallantry Medal, gold

(Full size)

Item number: M48

Year: AD 1892

Material: Gold

The results after XRF testing

Size: Medal 32.32 x 32.32 / Ribbon 32.59 x 41.79 mm

Weight: 34.49 g

Provenance: Livepool Medals 2023

This medal is the Sea Gallantry Medal (for Foreign Service), predating the national Sea Gallantry Medal. It was established in AD 1841 to recognize foreigners who rescued lives aboard British vessels. Originally, the medal had a diameter of 45 millimeters; however, due to inconvenience in wearing, its dimensions were reduced to 33 millimeters in AD 1854, accompanied by the addition of a swivel scroll suspension with claw. The ribbon of the medal is red, matching the width of the medal itself.

_{The Sea Gallantry Medal is a British Medal bestowed upon civilians for acts of bravery at sea. The origin of this medal can be traced back to AD 1854 when it was initially introduced as a merchant shipping award during the Crimean War. It was established to recognize civilian mariners who demonstrated valor in contributing to the war effort by transporting troops, supplies, and munitions in hostile environments.}

_{In AD 1874, following a reform and renaming process, the scope of awarding the Sea Gallantry Medal was expanded. The Trade Committee further delineated this accolade as being conferred for the act of rescuing individuals in distress at sea, irrespective of whether the vessel involved was of British or foreign origin, along the British coast. Additionally, the recognition was extended to encompass individuals who undertook life-saving efforts on British vessels in more distant maritime regions.}

_{The conferment rationale for this medal is categorized into humanity and gallantry distinctions. The definition of recipients of the humanity medal pertains to recipients whose lives were almost devoid of risk during rescue operations, whereas the gallantry medal is awarded to those who, while engaged in life-saving actions, faced significant personal peril.}

The obverse of the medal features the portrait of the reigning monarch, in this case, Queen Victoria. The reverse side depicts a laurel wreath and a crown, with the central inscription stating “From the British Government,” indicating that this medal was bestowed upon foreign individuals. The outer rim is engraved with the words “For Gallantry and Humanity”. The “Gallantry and Humanity” medal is frequently awarded and typically conferred in situations involving a certain degree of risk. However, gold medals bearing this specific inscription are exceptionally rare. The medal’s edge is inscribed with the recipient’s name and the date; in this case, the edge inscription reads “D. Mullen 24th November 1892.”

Although not formally abolished, no medals have been awarded since AD 1968.

The recipient of this medal is Dennis Joseph Mullen, who was born in England and served in China from around AD 1890 to AD 1930. He joined the Chinese Customs service and, notably, achieved recognition and was awarded other awards while serving as the Acting Postal Commissioner of the Hangzhou Zhejiang.

In AD 1892, the British barque “Stanfield” encountered a maritime disaster, losing contact with the land and sprang a leak. Dennis Joseph Mullen, along with four other Customs officials stationed at Chefoo, manned a lifeboat to rescue the ship’s captain and prevent further damage and loss of life. The lifeboat crew courageously went out again to seek help from the revenue cruiser during a snowstorm. As a result of their courageous actions during this incident, Dennis Mullen and the other four Customs officials were collectively awarded the Gold Sea Gallantry Medal.

_{Chefoo, situated in the northeastern part of present-day Shandong Province, evolved into a significant port following the Second Opium War. It became an international trade port shortly after its opening in AD 1861, with 17 countries establishing consulates in Chefoo. Notably, the customs administration in this region was run by the British.}

海上英勇獎章, 金

(官方版)

物件編號: M48

年代: 公元 1892 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 獎章 32.32 x 32.32 / 緞帶 32.59 x 41.79 mm

重量: 34.49 g

來源: 利物浦獎章 2023

此枚獎章為英國外交版本的海上英勇獎章，英國外交版本的海上英勇獎章早於國家的海上英勇獎章，於公元1841 年為在英國船隻上拯救生命的外國人設立，最初獎章的直徑為45毫米，後因不便配戴，於公元1854年將尺寸縮減為33毫米，並添加了帶爪螺旋式的懸掛。獎章的緞帶為紅色，寬度與獎章同寬。 

_{海上英勇獎章，是英國授予公民在海上的英勇行為的獎項。此項獎章的起源可以追溯到公元1854年，當時他首次被引入時是作為克利米亞戰爭期間的商船獎章，為表彰在敵對環境中運送軍隊、物資和軍火等方面為戰爭努力、有所貢獻的平民水手而創建。公元1874年，經過一次改革並更名後，頒授範圍擴大，貿易委員會進一步將該獎項定義為「不論船隻為英國或外國的，在英國海岸拯救遇船難者」，以及「在更遙遠的海域拯救英國船隻上的生命者」。} 

_{此獎章的頒授原因被分為人道和英勇兩種。榮獲人道獎章的定義為救難時獲獎者生命幾乎沒有風險，而英勇獎章則是行使救難行為時對受獎者來說存在重大風險。} 

獎章的正面印有在位君主的肖像，此枚獎章為維多利亞女王時期。背面為葉環與皇冠，中央則刻有「由英國政府頒發」，表明此枚獎章是頒布給外國人的外交版本，外圈則刻有「因英勇和人道」 的文字，「英勇和人道」獎章經常被授予，並且是在發生一定程度的個人風險的情況下頒發的，不過帶有此銘文的金牌非常罕見。獎章的邊緣刻有受獎者的姓名以及日期，此枚獎章的邊緣刻字為「D.Mullen 24th November 1892」。 

雖然並未正式廢除，然而自公元1968 年以來，再沒有頒發任何獎章。 

此枚獎章的獲獎者為Dennis Joseph Mullen，出生於英國，約公元1890-1930年間在中國服役，加入中國海關，他曾做為杭州浙江郵政局長榮獲其他獎章， 

公元1892年，英國商船斯坦菲爾德號遇難失事，且與陸地失聯，包含Dennis Mullen 在內的五名隸屬煙臺的海關人員駛著救生艇將斯坦菲爾德號的船長帶回，同時幫助避免其他損傷，且救生艇的船員們冒著暴雪再次外出，向巡洋處尋求幫助。由於此次事件，Dennis Mullen與另外四名海關一同獲頒外交版本的金質海上英勇獎章。 

_{煙臺: 煙臺市位於現今山東省東北部，在第二次鴉片戰爭後發展為重要港口，公元1861年開放不久後成為國際貿易港口，有17個國家在煙臺設立了領事館，特別的是，此處的海關是由英國人管理。} 

類似/相同物件 請看:

英國 拉姆斯蓋特海事博物館 Ramsgate Maritime Museum

https://ramsgatemaritimemuseum.org/cgi-sys/defaultwebpage.cgi

英國 格林威治國家海事博物館 National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

https://www.rmg.co.uk

更多相關訊息請參考:

https://www.searlecanada.org/hemy/SGM001.html#_ftn3

https://www.tracesofwar.com/awards/27/Sea-Gallantry-Medal.htm

Page 2606 | Issue 32922, 28 March 1924 | London Gazette | The Gazette

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-41005