THE ITALIAN NAVAL MEDAL OF VALOUR, 2nd CLASS, SILVER (AL VALORE DI MARINA) AWARDED TO GEORGE CROWLEY, CHIEF MATE OF THE STEAMSHIP SS PROVENCAL OF MIDDLESBOROUGH, WHO COMMANDED THE RESCUE PARTY FROM THE SS PROVENCAL THAT RESCUED THE SHIPWRECKED CREW OF THE ITALIAN BARQUE SAN GIOVANNI OFF CAPE SPARTEL, 2ND DECEMBER 1894, ONE OF FIVE SILVER AL VALORE DI MARINA MEDALS AND DIPLOMAS AWARDED TO THE CREW OF SS PROVENCAL, THE MASTER OF THE PROVENCAL, GEORGE SIMMONS, BEING AWARDED A SILVER COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL AND DIPLOMA, THE SILVER AL VALORE DI MARINA MEDALS BEING AWARDED TO GEORGE CROWLEY AS CHIEF MATE OF THE PROVENCAL AND FOUR SEAMEN.
ITALIAN MARINE MEDAL OF VALOUR (AL VALORE DI MARINA), 2nd class, silver, 33.5mm, by Ferraris, with integral silver top straight bar suspender attached at two points at upper edge (officially named, engraved in 5 lines in combination of capital letters and running script: "CUOWLEY, GIORGIO, UFFle DI BORDO INGLESE, Oceano Atlantico, 2 dicem. 1894").
Attractively toned, Extremely Fine, with a good 12 inch length of ribbon (sufficient for court mounting, if desired) and a rare example of the award in silver to a UK recipient.
Note Italianate rendering of George Crowley's name in the engraved naming of this medal.
Medal accompanied by 1861, 1881, 1891 and 1901 census returns, copied newspaper extracts and some copied research regarding the SS Provencal.
Both George Crowley and George Simmons were natives of Knottingley, Yorkshire.
George Crowley is recorded in the 1891 census as a 25 year old Boatman resident in Knottingley, Yorkshire, with his 56 year old father, William Crowley, mother, 2 brothers and 2 sisters. George Crowley not located in the 1901 or 1911 census returns.
George Simmons (1857-1903) is recorded in the 1861 census as a 4 year old boy resident with his family in Knottingley, Yorkshire, in the 1881 census as the 24 year old Master of the John Martin, then in harbour at the Isle of Wight, in the 1891 census, as a 34 year old Master Mariner and in the 1901 census as being resident in Hull, Yorkshire. He died at Hull on 4/4/1903. George Simmons had a son, Donald Simmons (baptised 1/1/1898), who saw service with the Royal Air Force during WW1 and was killed in a flying accident on 26/2/1919.
The award of silver medals and diplomas to the officers and men of the SS Provancal for the rescue of the crew of the San Giovanni was reported in the Northern Daily Mail, Saturday, 11th May 1895, under the headline "Rewards for Gallantry".
"The Board of Trade have received through the Foreign Office a silver commemorative medal and diploma for Mr G.T. Simmons, Master, and silver medals for valour at sea and diplomas for George Crowley, Mate, and Amos Martin, A. Olson, James Hendry and David Thomas, Seamen, of the steamship Provencal of Middlesborough, which have been awarded to them by the Italian government in recognition of their services to the shipwercked crew of the Itailan Barque S. Giovanni, off Cape Spartel, on December 2nd last."
An article regarding the presentation of the Silver Al Valore di Marina Medal to George Crowley was published in the Northern Daily Mail on Monday 13th May 1895, headlined "Saving Life at Sea" (in which the name of Crowley's ship was mis-spelt "Provincial").
"On Saturday night at the Seaman's Institute, Middlesborough, the Mayor (Alderman Lockwood Taylor), on behalf of the King of Italy, presented Mr. George Crowley with a silver medal and diploma in recognition of his gallant conduct in mid-Atlantic. Crowley, who is Chief Mate of the SS Provincial (sic) owned by Messrs Harris &n Co of Middlesborough, at great risk, save the crew of thirteen hands of the Barque San Giovanni, which had become waterlogged in the Atlantic when she was observed by the Provincial. The weather was very stormy, and the Captain of the Provincial sent Crowley and four seamen to the aid of the disabled vessel, and with a small boat they managed in two journeys to transfer the crew to the Provincial."
The SS Provencal was built in 1891 by W. Harkness & Sons, Middlesboro. After seeing service with a number of British ship owners, she was sold to the Norwegian ship owner Christian Klaveness and sank during a voyage from the river Tyne to Hamburg with a cargo of coal on 24/10/1898, following a collision on the river Elbe with the SS Mars
The Italian al Valore di Marina Medal would appear to be George Crowley's sole medal entitlement.
An Italian Al Valore di Marina Medal in the lower 3rd class, bronze, grade, awarded to a Swedish seaman for saving life at the sinking of the liner Utopia at Gibraltar on 17th March 1891 was sold by Noonan's on 7/12/2005 (lot 953). That medal, in the lower 3rd class grade, sold some 10 years ago for £900 (£1160 approx including auctioneer's fees, etc).
