AN EXCEPTIONAL ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY
“DOUBLE GALLANTRY”
LIFE SAVING PAIR of 1900 & 1905.
To:
CHARLES GILLETT
Master of Passenger Steamer “M.V. Premier” (Bristol)
A veteran of over 15 life saving rescues.
Master Mariner Charles Gillett was a very familiar person around the Bristol docks area in the late 19th & early 20th centuries.
He was locally known as the skipper of the Paddle driven Passenger Steamer the M.V. PREMIER, a 127 ton vessel built by Denny Brothers of Dumbarton and first registered in Glasgow in 1847.
Mr Gillett’s many life saving exploits were apparently legendary in the Bristol area as he had from about 1890 been the saviour of no less than 15 persons who had faced drowning prior to being most fortunately rescued by him.
We here offer his two Royal Humane Society Bronze medals which were awarded in 1900 & 1905 for two of his more spectacular rescues.
[LARGE BRONZE MEDAL]
Reverse Officially Engraved
CHARLES GILLETT
FOR SAVING THE LIFE
OF
EDWARD CAMPBELL
13th JULY
1900
[SMALL BRONZE MEDAL]
Edge Officially Engraved
CHARLES GILLETT. JUNE. 16. 1905
[BIOGRAPHY]
Charles Gillett was born in Plymouth in 1863 and by 1891 is seen on the census living at 2 Beuford Road, Bristol with wife Amy Elizabeth and one son Charles aged 1. He is then described as a Ship Carpenter & master of stores on a ferry boat.
He is then seen 10 years later in 1901 at 51 Washington Avenue Bristol with his wife Amy Elizabeth who was from Bristol. They had by then six children, five sons & one daughter.
[SON, FREDERICK....KILLED IN ACTION]
Their third son, Frederick Gillett who had been born in 1895 was Killed in Action while serving as Sapper 795 with 475th Field Company Royal Engineers on 7th April 1917.
Fred is commemorated at HEILLY STATION CEMETERY, MERICOURT-L’ABBE, France. (VI.E.24)
[THE RESCUES OF CHARLES GILLETT]
The first rescue of which we have a record was that of a man called
ROBERT STUART who had at some date in 1900 been sitting on railings near St Augustine’s Bridge when he fell backwards into the water. On this occasion Charles was assisted in the rescue by his brother George. As at 15th September 1900 Charles had already saved 13 people’s lives & George 8.
[LARGE BRONZE MEDAL] 1900.
The next rescue on record is the occasion on which Charles was awarded his Large Bronze medal. This was for the rescue of EDWARD CAMPBELL on 13th July 1900, who it appears was a small child who had fallen into the water at Cumberland Basin.
[SMALL BRONZE MEDAL]
A further rescues by Charles Gillett then took place. This was rescue was at the floating harbour in Bristol in 1905 when he had saved the life of a lad who had fallen in.
A further event was in 5th August 1906 when a child called Herbert Iles had fallen into the water at the floating harbour. His mother Florence Iles, 38 of 9 James Street, had then jumped in to save her child. They were both rescued by Charles Gillett, William Hawkins & Police Constable Ernest Highett,181A.
This is a quite exceptional pair of medals to a very exceptional man.
Seldom (if ever) in our time in medals have we read a more incredible civilian life saving record than that of Charles Gillett.
If you collect R.H.S. medals or have a local interest in the maritime history of Bristol, this pair will surely be a necessary purchase.
Both medals are totally original & in EF + condition on their original ribbons & claw brooches.
£995
Master Mariner Charles Gillett was a very familiar person around the Bristol docks area in the late 19th & early 20th centuries.
He was locally known as the skipper of the Paddle driven Passenger Steamer the M.V. PREMIER, a 127 ton vessel built by Denny Brothers of Dumbarton and first registered in Glasgow in 1847.
Mr Gillett’s many life saving exploits were apparently legendary in the Bristol area as he had from about 1890 been the saviour of no less than 15 persons who had faced drowning prior to being most fortunately rescued by him.
We here offer his two Royal Humane Society Bronze medals which were awarded in 1900 & 1905 for two of his more spectacular rescues.
[LARGE BRONZE MEDAL]
Reverse Officially Engraved
CHARLES GILLETT
FOR SAVING THE LIFE
OF
EDWARD CAMPBELL
13th JULY
1900
[SMALL BRONZE MEDAL]
Edge Officially Engraved
CHARLES GILLETT. JUNE. 16. 1905
[BIOGRAPHY]
Charles Gillett was born in Plymouth in 1863 and by 1891 is seen on the census living at 2 Beuford Road, Bristol with wife Amy Elizabeth and one son Charles aged 1. He is then described as a Ship Carpenter & master of stores on a ferry boat.
He is then seen 10 years later in 1901 at 51 Washington Avenue Bristol with his wife Amy Elizabeth who was from Bristol. They had by then six children, five sons & one daughter.
[SON, FREDERICK....KILLED IN ACTION]
Their third son, Frederick Gillett who had been born in 1895 was Killed in Action while serving as Sapper 795 with 475th Field Company Royal Engineers on 7th April 1917.
Fred is commemorated at HEILLY STATION CEMETERY, MERICOURT-L’ABBE, France. (VI.E.24)
[THE RESCUES OF CHARLES GILLETT]
The first rescue of which we have a record was that of a man called
ROBERT STUART who had at some date in 1900 been sitting on railings near St Augustine’s Bridge when he fell backwards into the water. On this occasion Charles was assisted in the rescue by his brother George. As at 15th September 1900 Charles had already saved 13 people’s lives & George 8.
[LARGE BRONZE MEDAL] 1900.
The next rescue on record is the occasion on which Charles was awarded his Large Bronze medal. This was for the rescue of EDWARD CAMPBELL on 13th July 1900, who it appears was a small child who had fallen into the water at Cumberland Basin.
[SMALL BRONZE MEDAL]
A further rescues by Charles Gillett then took place. This was rescue was at the floating harbour in Bristol in 1905 when he had saved the life of a lad who had fallen in.
A further event was in 5th August 1906 when a child called Herbert Iles had fallen into the water at the floating harbour. His mother Florence Iles, 38 of 9 James Street, had then jumped in to save her child. They were both rescued by Charles Gillett, William Hawkins & Police Constable Ernest Highett,181A.
This is a quite exceptional pair of medals to a very exceptional man.
Seldom (if ever) in our time in medals have we read a more incredible civilian life saving record than that of Charles Gillett.
If you collect R.H.S. medals or have a local interest in the maritime history of Bristol, this pair will surely be a necessary purchase.
Both medals are totally original & in EF + condition on their original ribbons & claw brooches.
£995