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Artist:
Wyon, Allan Gairdner
Issuer:
Lloyds of London
Although sailors of the Merchant Navy were in all ways at the front line of conflict in the Second World War, as casualties caused by submarines, mines and aircraft amply tell even without the ordinary dangers of traffic by sea, the British naval establishment had no awards that could be made for acts of bravery in the service, as opposed to campaign medals for service of all kinds in particular areas. In 1939 therefore the well-known maritime insurers, Lloyds of London, set up a committee to award such a decoration to seafarers who performed exceptional acts of courage at sea. The award was announced in December 1940, and the first issues made in March 1941. Awards continued until 1948, all for Second World War service, and the medal was thereafter discontinued. The actual medal was designed by Allan Gairdner Wyon, and this piece is a specimen in white metal; the Museum also has one in bronze.
History note: From the estate of the late Mrs Venetia M. Watson, daughter of the artist
Method of acquisition: Given (2005-01-31) by Watson, Philip Charles
1940-12 CE - 1941-03 CE
White metal specimen
Object composed of white metal Diameter 36 mm Die Axis 0 degrees Weight 28.73 g
Inscription present: Male figure, nude except for cap, holding wreath in right hand, seated quarter left with head left, right elbow rested on seatback and left arm outstretched over background of sea through which merchant ship sails left
Inscription present: Stylised crown-like trident with wreath around, scroll before bearing inscription
Accession number: CM.27-2005
Primary reference Number: 156546
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Coins and Medals
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Medal for Bravery at Sea" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/156546 Accessed: 2025-06-24 00:06:54
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/156546
|title=Medal for Bravery at Sea
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-06-24 00:06:54|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-156546
To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:
<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm18/CM_27_2005_281_29.jpg"
alt="Medal for Bravery at Sea"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Medal for Bravery at Sea</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
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