LIVERPOOL SHIPWRECK & HUMANE SOCIETY

Instituted 1839 Incorporated 1888 Registered Charity No. 222098 Limited Company No. 27726

IN MEMORIAM MEDALLION

The In Memoriam Medallion was introduced in 1877 to recognise the gallantry displayed by those who lost their lives whilst attempting to rescue others. It has always been awarded in Silver and is presented to the next of kin. Prior to its introduction, in memoriam awards were usually given to widows, the first probably being a sewing machine awarded to the widow of Mr A Gore Kelly who died in March 1867 attempting to save the crew of the schooner “Harmony”. 

The In Memoriam Medallion is double the thickness of the Marine Medallion. It is framed and glazed and the silver band of the framing presents a flat edge upon which details of the lifesaving attempt are engraved. The glass is slightly convex with bevelled edges and the whole represents a truly beautiful piece of medallic art.

The records show that 51 in memoriam medallions have been awarded up to 1977, since when there have been no further awards of this medal although a small stock of them is still held. The majority of those awarded were for incidents of a “marine” nature, but a small number were for attempted rescues of a “general” nature. It is remarkable that several of the medallion awards were to the parents of children; a sure sign that the saving of life is instinctive in all of us.

IN MEMORIAM CERTIFICATE

In 1961 the In Memoriam Certificate was introduced, measuring 280 mm wide by 357 mm long. The lettering is all in black ink with a black border, the whole being printed on fine quality stiff paper. This award was instituted as an alternative, at the discretion of the committee, to the existing In Memoriam Medallion. It is the rarest of the paper awards and hopefully will remain that way. It is only awarded posthumously, to the family of the deceased rescuer. The certificate is signed by both the chairman and the secretary, on behalf of the committee.

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