Lot 559

Description

Royal Humane Society of Australasia Silver Medal, (1906), reverse inscribed, 'Thomas Jeffree 27th April 1906'. No ribbon, some edge nicks, otherwise toned good very fine.

RHS Case No.2305/6 - Joseph Healy, aged 29 years, and Thomas Jeffree, aged 43 years, miners of Stawell, who attempted to rescue James Archibald Gilchrist, aged 9 years, at Stawell on April 27, 1906. The boy had been lost and it was suspected that he had fallen down an abandoned shaft, 800 feet deep, known as Scallan's. An attempt was made to reach the shaft from a drive, in the "Extended" mine, but this failed. Jeffree and Healy volunteered to go down the shaft on a rope. Jeffree went first, and was lowered to a depth of 400 feet. He was then drawn up, as the shaft was full of loose and projecting timber, and it was too dangerous. Then Healy went down to a depth of 500 feet, where the shaft was blocked, and he had to be hauled to the surface. The timbers were falling, and great risks were run, owing to the swaying of the rope. Subsequently both men joined in the search, which resulted in the boy's dead body being found.

Each man was awarded a Silver Medal.

With research including a newspaper account of the search and subsequent difficult task of finding and retrieving the dead boy's body.