Aust Historical Medals

Lot 990       Aust Historical Medals

Estimate $600
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $1,300

ROYAL SHIPWRECK RELIEF AND HUMANE SOCIETY OF N.S.W., award medal in silver (37mm) awarded to 'Harold Devereux / For Bravery / at Stockton Beach / 28 Dec 1940'; Surf Life Saving Association of Australia, Meritorious Award for Bravery, in bronze (35mm) inscribed on rev. 'H.Devereux / Stockton Beach / 30th December 1940'; and Proficiency award, in bronze (27mm) with loop mount, presented to 'H.Devereux' for Proficiency, Reel line and Beltwork. Very fine - extremely fine. (3)

Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate, Monday December 30, 1940. '...Hammond was in shallow water about 50 yards from the shore when he was attacked. He was so severly injured that he died while being carried out. The nature of his injuries indicated that it was a large shark, and that it seized him twice. Two members of the Stockton Surf Club, Harry Devereux and Jack Jones fearlessly went to Hammond's assistance the instant they heard his agonising cry for help. They reached him within a minute. The tragedy occurred about 9 o'clock. Few people were on the beach. Only four members of the surf club were present. Jones and Hammond had been swimming together. They had not been long in the water. Devereux had been swimming at the spot before Hammond and Jones went in. Jones swam away about 30 yards where the 'shoots' were better. He heard Hammond call 'Jonesy'. There was nothing at the moment to indicate what had happened, but the men's thoughts turned to sharks. Devereux, on the beach and Jones, in the water, unhesitatingly went with all haste to Hammond's aid. Devereux took the belt. They saw the water red around Hammond and they knew what that meant. More than one shark might have been there, for all the men knew. They did not stop to think. By the time they reached Hammond he had collapsed....People on the beach expressed their admiration of the courageous manner to which Devereux and Jones went in to the stricken man's assistance without thinking of their own safety. Surf Club officials and members spoke with pride of the gallant actions of the two men'. Three generations of the Devereux family, grandfather, father and son had been awarded a Royal Humane Society of N.S.W. certificate. The grandfather, James Devereux was awarded a certificate for life saving, the father, Horace Devereux was awarded a similar certificate for saving a swimmer off Stockton and the son, Harold Devereux for bravery in the shark tragedy off Stockton Beach. With newspaper clippings.