A good Albert Medal First Class awarded to Mr. J. Dodd, British Merchant residing at Ke-lung, Formosa, for his great gallantry, along with Mr. A. M. Margary, Assistant in H.M. Consular Service, in rescuing the crew of the French barque Adèle during a very violent typhoon off the north coast of Formosa, 9 August 1871, an epic tale of courage, effort, and danger carried out over several hours in pitch darkness - they succeeded in rescuing the whole crew, including the ship’s cat
Albert Medal, 1st Class, for Gallantry in Saving Life at Sea, gold and enamel, the reverse officially engraved ‘Presented in the name of Her Majesty to John Dodd, British Merchant at Ke-lung Formosa, wrecks of Schooner “Anne” of Hong Kong and French Barque “Adèle” on 9th. August 1871’, reverse of the crown with maker’s cartouché Phillips, Cockspur St., and officially numbered ‘No. 24’, in embossed leather case of issue, extremely fine £7,000-£9,000
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Provenance: Glendining, March 1973 (when sold in a pair with a Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners Royal Benevolent Society Medal); Sotheby’s, June 1983 (Albert Medal and case of issue only).
A.M. London Gazette 29 October 1872 (in a joint citation with Mr. Augustus Raymond Margary, Assistant in Her Majesty’s Consular Service in China):
‘During the raging of a very violent typhoon, which burst over the north coast of Formosa on the 9th August 1871, the schooner Anne of Hong Kong, and the French barque Adèle were amongst the vessels blown from their anchorage and driven on the rocky shore of Ke-lung Harbour. The night was very dark, with a blinding rain, and great quantities of wreckage were floating in the water and being washed ashore in the surf; but, by the aid of a brilliant light of burning camphor, the position of the ships was made out from the shore.
Mr. Augusts Raymond Margary, Assistant in Her Majesty’s Consular Service in China, and Mr. John Dodd, a British Merchant, at Ke-lung, had a rope fastened to their bodies and went into the surf with a view to siding the crew of the schooner Anne, of Hong Kong, the nearest ship that could be discerned. Aiding each other, they waded and then swam a distance of some thirty or forty yards through the surf. The rope proved to be too short, and they were compelled to either throw it away or return to the shore. They threw the rope off and reached the ship by swimming. They then tried to reach the shore with a rope from the ship, and after making an unsuccessful effort to do this, they persuaded two volunteers to lower a small boat, which was done with great difficulty, in which Messrs Margary and Dodd tried to row back with a rope. Their efforts were frustrated. The boat was turned completely over and Mr. Margary was for a few moments underneath it. They were, however, thrown on shore with fortunately but few bruises. The ship was rocking violently from side to side when they left her, but seemed to sustain no damage, and by the advice of the Captain, who appeared confident then of the strength of his ship, they desisted from further efforts, as there were more distressing cases calling for attention further off. Timber was strewn on the beach and was beating against the rocks in such a way that little hope could be entertained of any living thing yet remaining; but an occasional wail of the sufferers in the sea induced Messrs Margary and Dodd to persevere for several hours. They then with difficulty, effort, and danger, and in the dark, crawled over sandstone rocks of a peculiarly rugged nature, amidst breakers and wreck, until they arrived to within a short distance of the remains of the French ship Adèle, and by swimming they were able to make a connection with her by rope to the shore.
Mr. Dodd swam to seize the buoy which the Frenchmen threw over, while Mr. Margary swam to meet him with the shore rope. They joined the two and immediately gained the deck, which was by this time shattered. With the aid of the rope the greater part of the crew passed safely to shore, when Mr. Dodd and Mr. Margary discovered the boatswain lying half under water, with his leg completely broken above the ankle. They raised him and carried him on shore by swimming. They then made repeated efforts to cross the broken back of the ship, to save four men who remained cut off in the bows. These men were helplessly frightened, and could scarcely be got down. Messrs Margary and Dodd in the end succeeded, but were both washed down by a heavy sea, which caused much injury to Mr. Dodd. The last thing which left the ship was a black cat, which clung to Mr. Margary’s shoulder in spite of the the heavy surf which was rolling all over, and when they left the ship she was actually breaking up beneath their feet.’
Note: The Albert Medal for saving life at Sea was instituted initially as a single class Decoration in March 1866, and awarded only once. It was expanded to two classes in April 1867. Dodd’s Albert Medal was one of seven First Class and eighteen Second Class Albert Medals for saving life at Sea subsequently awarded before the statutes for the Medal were further expanded to incorporate a ‘for Land’ category in April 1877.
Sold with photographic image of recipient wearing his medals.
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