Awardees of the Stanhope Gold Medal

The Stanhope Gold Medal is the highest honour bestowed by the Royal Humane Society. It was founded in 1873, in memory of Chandos Scudamore Scudamore Stanhope, a recipient of the Society’s silver medal, who died of smallpox in Malta in 1871 at the age of 48. The Stanhope Memorial Fund gave a donation to the Society of £400, to fund an annual gold medal, to be called the Stanhope Medal. Thereafter, this was presented to the holder of the Society’s silver medal, judged to be the most meritorious for the year.

In 1962, the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society (LS&HS), the Royal Humane Society of Australasia (RHSA), the Royal Humane Society of New South Wales (RHSNSW), the Royal Canadian Humane Association (RCHA), and the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand (RHSNZ) were invited to submit annual nominations for the Stanhope Gold Medal. In 2014, the Foundation for Civilian Bravery – Sri Lanka (FCB-SL) was additionally invited to submit nominations.

On five occasions, the standard meriting the award of the Stanhope Medal was not achieved, so no award was made for those years.

Where more than one nominee was been submitted for the same case, awards of the Stanhope Gold Medal may be made to each nominee. This has occurred twice; three nominees received the award in 2001 and two nominees received the award in 2019.

There have been two posthumous awards, in 1956 and in 2018.

Winners of the Stanhope Gold Medal

1873Captain Matthew Webb, SS Russia
1874Lieutenant J De Hoghton, 10th Foot
1875Sub-Lieutenant F H Rogers, RN
1876W Bennett Story
1877Sub-Lieutenant R A F Montgomerie RN
1878Lieutenant Lewis E Wintz RN
1879Babo Kristo Chunder Chuckerbutty
1880Captain The Hon Edmund R Fremantle CB, CMG, RN
1881Major H W J Senior, 34th Bengal Native Infantry
1882Constable John Jenkins
1883William Simpson, HMS Harrier
1884Walter Cleverly
1885Alfred Collins
1886Captain H M McRae, 45th (Rattray’s) Sikhs
1887Hedley Hill
1888Boy Albert Battison, RN HMS Impregnable
1889William Meyer
1890Forth Officer Alfred John Cooper, SS Massila
1891Lieutenant W B Huddleston, Royal Indian Marine
1892Boatswain Thomas McDermott, RN, HMS Swallow
1893Captain Spencer WilliamScrase Dickins, 2/Highland Light Infantry
1894William Mugford
1895E A Hatton, SS Dunbar Castle
1896Second Officer John H Collin, SS Sultan
1897Gunner George B Chainey, RN, HMS Dryad
1898Francis O’Neill
1899Gunner W P Hall, RGA
1900William Allen
1901Lieutenant A C Lowry, RN
1902Third Officer Alexander C Henderson, SS City of Corinth
1903Fourth Officer J Shearme, SS Malacca
1904Captain Thomas C Mackenzie DSO, RAMC
1905John Stockton
1906Sub-Lieutenant D J D Noble, RN
1907William Henry Parr
1908George Henry Smith
1909Able SeamanThomas Bouttell, HMS Glory
1910Chief Engineer Frank Fraser, Trawler Donside
1911Sub-Lieutenant Charles C Halliday RNR, SS Clyde
1912Second Engineer D Palmer, SS Meifoo
1913Commander Wilfred Tomkinson RN, HMS Wolf
1914Chief Officer Edward J Hales, SS Mineric
1915Apprentice Cecil Hetherington, SS Jacona
1916Fireman John Paxton, SS Swedish Prince
1917Commander Francis H T Lewin RN
1918Skipper Hugh Lownie Ritchie, Motor Fishing Boat Grace
1919Lieutenant Aubrey A D Grey RN
1920Captain Ernest Twentyman, Harbourmaster, Levuca, Fiji
1921Thomas Brannon
1922Midshipman Peter C Hutton RN, HMS Raleigh
1923Harvey Clayton
1924George Ingham
1925Seaman Duncan L. Souter, ST Honoria
1926Mate Harry Smith, SD Sarepta
1927Ernest T Johnson
1928Andries M Hayns
1929Deck Hand Leonard R Thompson, SD Forethought
1930Lieutenant Colin H C Singleton RN, HMS Petrel
1931Ship’s Cook G Jenkin, Schooner John Willian V
1932Benjamin R Spencer
1933H E B Jones
1934Lieutenant Hugh N A Richardson RN, HMS Wolfhound
1935Miss Evelyn Graham Irons MA
1936Noel Augustus Kinch, ST Northern Pride
1937Deck Hand Ernest Hill, ST Northern Spray
1938First Officer Ralph Mountain, Flying Boat Cygnus
1939Able Seaman Martin Lee, SS Harmanteh
1940Leading Seaman Harry Lucas RN
1941Radio Officer Douglas S Fairley
1942Arthur Bengough
1943Francis C Drake
1944Group Captain James Alexander RAAF.
1945Cyril G L Brown NFS.
1946Alan Edward Ravani
1947Mrs Petronella Ferguson
1948Company Officer Thomas Matson Roberts NFS
1949Lieutenant (E)(A.E.) Robert Colin Pearson RN
1950Roland Bulteaux
1951Mine Captain John Williams, Konongo Gold Mines
1952Deck Hand Peter Strachan, Fishing Vessel Three Bells
1953Thomas Frederick Gill
1954Mehmet Mustafa Shemmedi
1955Petty Officer Ivor Laurence Beale, RN
1956Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Barry O’Sullivan MC, Royal Tank Reg (posthumous)
1957William Robertson
1958Lieutenant David John Nowell Hall RN
1959No award
1960No award
1961No award
1962Graham Morris Jorgensen (RHSA)
1963Frederick John Knight (RHSNSW)
1964Teehu Makimare (RHSNSW)
1965Lieutenant Barry John Campbell, 1st Field Reg. RAFA (RHSNSW)
1966Chief Petty Officer Paul Greengrass, HMS St Angelo (RHS)
1967Junior Engineer Jack Milne Easton, MN (RHS)
1968Robert John Ryan (RHSNZ)
1969No award
1970John Christopher Broekmeulen, (RHSA)
1971Thomas Nicol (RHS)
1972Malcolm Rodney Aspeslet (RCHA)
1973No award
1974Abraham Starr (RCHA)
1975Terry Haydon Gleeson, (RHSA)
1976Graham Thomas Robson, (RHSA)
1977Randy Sherman Davey (RCHA)
1978Ian Richard Howard (LS&HS)
1979Bruce Wallace McPherson (RHSNSW)
1980Station Officer John McNab (LS&HS)
1981Dulcie Kalms, (RHSNSW)
1982Joseph Kaleak (RCHA)
1983Stephen Jury (RHSA)
1984Victor Leonard Golding (RHS)
1985David Michael Garner (LS&HS)
1986Gordon William Sonnichsen (RCHA)
1987James George Smith (LS&HS)
1988Officer Cadet Rupert Novis (RHS)
1989Trevor Allan Viney (RHSA)
1990Elaine Walsh (LS&HS)
1991WPC Lesley Allison Moore (RHS)
1992Rodney Stephen Peters (RHSNSW)
1993Beryl Ellen Smith (RHSA)
1994Aaron John Ledden (RHSNSW)
1995Douglas Fade (RCHA)
1996Ian Maurice Boughton (RHSNSW)
1997Anthony Shane Day (RHSA)
1998PC Ian Peter Standerwick (RHS)
1999Vanessa Bailey (RCHA)
2000David Calnan (RCHA)
2001Dr Richard Morris (RHSNSW)
2001Paul John Featherstone (RHSNSW)
2001Christopher Valan Wilkinson (RHSNSW)
2002Michael James McGuinness (RHS)
2003Marine Darren Swift (RHS)
2004Thomas Bangert (RCHA)
2005Dr Lee Gordon-Brown (RHSA)
2006Oguz Taskun (RHSNSW)
2007Mathew Vizbulis (RCHA)
2008Adrian Heili (RHS)
2009Mike Sharpe (RCHA)
2010Frank Skelhorn (LS&HS)
2011Ian Wood (RHS)
2012David Kelly (RHS)
2013Theodore Sawyer (RCHA)
2014Andrew Cochran (RCHA)
2015Murray Barnewall (RHSA)
2016Murray Michie (RHSNZ)
2017Calvin Stein (RCHA)
2018H.M. Keerthi Bandara (FCB-SL) (posthumous)
2019Richard William Stanton MBE GM (RHS)
2019John Volanthen GM (RHS)
2020Nicola Gilio (RHSNSW)
2021Jamie Ingram (RHSNSW)
2022Lukasz Koczocik (RHS)