LIFEBOAT MAGAZINE ARCHIVE

Advanced search

Coxswain Henry G. Blogg, of Cromer

BY winning a second-service clasp to his silver medal for the rescue of the two men from the barge Sepoy, as described on page 197, Coxswain Henry G. Blogg has equalled a record which has stood in the history of the Institution for eighty-five years.

Coxswain Blogg has now won the Institution's gold medal twice, and its silver medal twice.

Only two other men have equalled that achievement. No one has beaten it. Between the years 1828 and 1830 Lieut.-Col. Sir William Hillary, Bt., the founder of the Institution, was three times awarded the gold medal for gallantry in rescuing life in Douglas Bay. Between the years 1838 and 1848, Lieutenant J. Bulley, R.N., chief officer of coastguards at Ather- field, Isle of Wight, was twice awarded the gold medal and twice the silver medal.

Since then the record of Sir William.

Hillary and Lieutenant Bulley has remained unchallenged. No one but Sir William Hillary has won the gold medal three times. Only Lieutenant Bulley, and now Coxswain Blogg, have won two gold and two silver medals.

Only five other men have won the gold medal twice, and of those five only three have won the silver medal also.

One man has won one gold and three silver medals. One man has won the silver medal five times. These figures show how great is Coxswain Blogg's achievement and how rare the dis- tinction he has won.

Apart from his medals he has a long and distinguished record. He became a member of the Cromer crew in January, 1894, at the age of eight- teen. In 1902 he was appointed second coxswain and in 1909 coxswain.

Thus he was a member of the crew for eight years and second coxswain for seven years. He has now been coxswain for twenty-four years, and, at the age of fifty-eight can look back on forty years of service in the Cromer life- boat. During that time the life-boat has been out on service 191 times and has rescued 352 lives. During his twenty-four years as coxswain the life-boat has been out on service 160 times and has rescued 298 lives.

The following are the awards which Coxswain Blogg has received : In 1917, the gold medal of the Institution for the rescue of eleven men of the crew of the Swedish steamer Fernebo.

In 1924, the medal of the Order of the British Empire, which he received from the King at Buckingham Palace.

In 1927, a second-service clasp to his gold medal for the rescue of fifteen men of the Dutch oil-tanker Georgia, and a gold watch from the Queen of Holland.

In 1932, the silver medal of the Institution, for the rescue of thirty men from the Italian steamer Monte Nevoso, and the silver medal of the Canine Defence League for the rescue of a dog from the same steamer.

In 1933, a second-service clasp to his silver medal for the rescue of the two men of the barge Sepoy, of Dover..