LONDON.- The Life-saving medal awarded to First Class Bedroom Steward H. Roberts, S.S. Republic, for his assistance in the rescue of over 1,700 lives from the Republic and the Italian liner “Florida”, following their collision off Nantucket in January 1909 will be offered Mayfair-based Dix Noonan Webb in their auction of Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria on Wednesday, April 20, 2022. Subsequently, Roberts was transfered to the R.M.S. Titanic and drowned when the ill-fated vessel struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic on her maiden voyage on the night of 14-15 April 1912, and sank with the loss of over 1,500 lives. The silver medal is expected to fetch £1,000-1,400.

Hugh Roberts was born in Holyhead (North Wales) in c.1873 and served as a First Class Bedroom Steward in the White Star Line’s S.S. Republic. In the early morning of 23 January 1909, the Republic, sailing from New York to Gibraltar, collided with the Italian liner S.S. Florida in fog off the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The White Star Line’s R.M.S. Baltic responded to the C.Q.D. (distress signal) call sent out by radio. Three passengers died in the collision; the remaining passengers from the Republic were transferred, first to the less-damaged Florida, and then, on her arrival, to the Baltic. The Republic sank the next day whilst under tow to New York. The saloon passengers of the two White Star Liners subscribed to a fund to provide medals to the crews of the three ships involved, in recognition of the fact that they saved more than 1,700 lives. This was the first occasion on which the C.Q.D. distress call had been sent by wireless transmission.

Roberts remained in the employ of the White Star Line, and was aboard the Titanic for her delivery trip from Belfast to Southampton. He signed on again for the Titanic in Southampton on 4 April 1912, giving his last ship as the Baltic, and was employed upon the ill-fated liner’s maiden voyage as a first class bedroom steward, with monthly wages of £3 15s.

Oliver Pepys, Associate Director and Medal Auctioneer at Dix Noonan Webb explains: “The Titanic – one of the most infamous ships of all time – sank 110 years ago on April 15, 1912. Hugh Roberts was a first class bedroom steward aboard the vessel’s maiden voyage and sadly did not survive. However, three years earlier - somewhat ironically, while working onboard another ship, the S.S. Republic; he had saved someone else’s life and for this act of bravery was rewarded.”

He continues: “His body was recovered from the ocean by the Mackay-Bennett, and he was subsequently buried at sea on 23 April 1912. When recovered from the sea he is recorded as wearing the following clothes: ‘Black Coat; Steward’s Cast; two waistcoats; brown and blue striped pyjamas; black boots; false teeth top jaw’ - I wonder where his bottom teeth went!”