*The Superb Triple Sea Gallantry (Foreign Services) Group of 3 awarded to Patrão Joaquim Lopes, an Honorary Officer in the Portuguese Navy and one of the most important life-saving figures in the Portuguese history. He became something of a national hero through a series of famous life-saving incidents off the coast of Portugal near Lisbon in the 19th century, including saving lives from the crews of 3 British ships. King Luis I of Portugal visited his home to personally thank him after one life saving incident, and he latterly returned his 3 British awards to the Government in London in protest against the British Ultimatum to Portugal in 1890 concerning expansion in Colonial Africa, comprising: Sea Gallantry Medal (Foreign Services), V.R, small size in gold (Joaquim Lopes), reverse inscribed ‘For Gallant and Humane Service to the crew of the Schooner British Queen. 1858.’; Sea Gallantry Medal (Foreign Services), V.R, small size in gold (Lieut: Joaquim Lopes. 1880), reverse inscribed ‘For Gallantry and Humanity’; Sea Gallantry Medal (Foreign Services), V.R, small size in silver (Joaquim Lopes. 1856.), reverse inscribed ‘For Saving the lives of British Subjects’; Medals swing mounted on relatively modern bar and offered with one red box of issue by ‘J. Spilling’ of London (hinge broken), light contact marks and once lightly polished, otherwise toned good very fine to extremely fine, with some lustre. Joaquim Lopes was born in the Portuguese town of Olhão on 19 August 1798, the son of a fisherman. He started his own career as a fisherman at the age of 10, working with his father, and at that age he was already capable of jumping from the boat, bringing in the sails, climbing the masts and spreading the nets. At the age of 18 he moved to Gibraltar and also to the Algarve, but returned to the Lisbon area of Paço des Arcos at the age of 22. The sea in this area was well-known for its treacherous currents, caused by the confluence of the Oeiras and Tagus rivers and the presence of the Atlantic Ocean, and no doubt Joaquim Lopes had an intimate knowledge of the waters around Lisbon and the Portuguese coast. He joined a local ‘falua’ as a rower, and soon became recognized as the most skilled man in the boat despite his age. As recorded in the article ‘Patrão Lopes, our Hero’ by Carolina Sa Bandeira, his first rescue took place in 1823, when he saved the lives of a local man and his child as they attempted to cross a river despite its strong current, with both falling in. He successfully saved both in two attempts, and was celebrated in the local town. During his long career as a live-saver and seaman, Joaquim Lopes rescued many sailors from certain death including the crew of three British ships, one of which was the schooner Howard Primrose, the French vessel Stephanie, the Spanish brigandine Achilles and numerous local Portuguese boats. It is worth noting that no formal life-saving service existed at this time, and that such work was provided on a local, volunteer basis. The wreck of the first British vessel – the schooner ‘Howard Primrose’ is not recorded by British sources, but Portuguese records confirm that it took place in February 1856. An alarm was sounded by the Forts of São Julião and São Bugio, and Lopes and some other volunteers quickly launched a boat to rescue the ship’s crew. After some 6 hours of rowing and battling with the heavy swell and wind, the lifeboat returned to port at Paço des Arcos without having been able to reach the stricken vessel. The decision was then taken to return once again, but this time in a more maneuverable fishing vessel, and as a result the lives of the British Captain and 5 other members of the crew. For this Lopes was awarded the Sea Gallantry Medal (Foreign Services) in silver, as well as some gold sovereigns to share with the crew. The second incident concerned the wreck of the schooner ‘British Queen’ on 24 February 1858. This vessel had become wrecked upon the south bank, west of the Bugio Fort, South Bar of Lisbon, where Lopes (as Master), Joaquim Pedro (also a Master) and Carlos Augusto (Crewman) assisted in the saving of the lives of William Bell and Peter O’Connor of the British ship - who were rescued from ‘immediate peril, in a gale of wind and a heavy rolling sea’. For this, Lieutenant Lopes was awarded the Sea Gallantry Medal (Foreign Services) in gold. The third related to the wreck of the barquentine ‘Lucy’ of Brixham, Devon, which was wrecked upon rocks near Bujio Laho on 17 February 1880 as it attempted to enter Lisbon Harbour. A lifeboat was sent out once again under the command of Joaquim Lopes, now at the advanced age of 82 years old, who displayed ‘remarkable coolness and courage’ throughout (The Sea Gallantry Medal by Scarlett refers), and effected the safe recovery of the British crew who had been in ‘extreme peril’. For this incident one gold medal and 11 silver were issued to Lopes and his crew. Also of note was his participation in the rescue of the crew of the yacht Admiral in 1862. Lopes and his companions saved the entire crew of this vessel which had ‘shattered’ in a thunderstorm, and for this King Luis made a visit in person to Joaquim Lopes’ humble home. When asked how many lives Lopes had saved, he answered: “I counted up to three hundred. But after that I lost count!” As a result he was awarded the Portuguese Order of the Tower and Sword chain by King Luis for courage, loyalty and merit in 1866. Many other countries including France, Spain and Britain also bestowed awards on Joaquim Lopes for his life-saving work - receiving a reported 11 medals in total. Some years later in 1890, Patrão (or Captain) Joaquim Lopes returned his British awards to the government in London in protest against the 1890 British Ultimatum. This ultimatum was seen as being in breach of the Treaty of Windsor of 1386, as it forced the retreat of Portuguese military forces in Africa between the Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique (most of present-day Zimbabwe and Zambia), which were claimed by Portugal but which directly clashed with British aspirations of creating a Cape to Cairo Railway. When Portugal eventually gave in to British demands, it was seen as a national humiliation and serious insult against Portugal - Britain’s oldest ally. Violent protests duly followed in Lisbon and the Union flag was publicly burnt, and clearly Patrão Lopes felt that he could not wear his British medals in good conscience as a result. As Joaquim Lopes grew older he became unable to take to sea, but he reportedly remained on watch outside his house for hours on end, making sure all was well on his ‘patch’ of the coast. Never a rich man, he always made a point of sharing any money for his rescues with his poorer colleagues. Joaquim Lopes died at the age of 92 on 21 December 1890, and a funeral cortege of ships took him along the Tagus River to São Roque for his funeral service. He was then buried in the nearby Occidental Cemetery. Many years later a statue was erected in the seafront gardens at Olhão in 1972 to his lasting memory. Ex Glendining, 15 December 1966, lot 522.
