Wallis & Wallis
Lot 455
A miniature Albert Medal 1st Class. A miniature Albert Medal 1st Class, with Land riband, un-named, EF. Offered with 3 worn news cuttings, 1 with typed transcript entitled “Honour to a Hove Hero” and published in The Brighton Herald relating to local lad, Air Mechanic H V Robinson, who had been awarded the Albert Medal 1st Class (see note); a copy Home Office letter 18th June 1918 relating to Robinson’s investiture at Buckingham Palace and a note from Buckingham Palace “The Private Secretary is commanded by the King to acknowledge the receipt of Mrs Robinson’s letter and inform her that it has been transmitted to the Minister for Pensions 12.9.23", its envelope addressed to Mrs Sophia Robinson, 7 Shakespeare Street, Hove. Plate. Note: 20th December 1917 - Five airships left Polegate Airship Station, near Eastbourne, on patrol when bad visibility forced them to land, (2 near Beachy Head, 2 at Jevington and 1 near Horsham). During the evening a gale sprang up and it was decided to get the vessels back to Polegate. With visibility still poor the pilot from one of the Beachy Head airships mistook the lights at Jevington for the aerodrome and tried to land colliding with one of the Jevington ships. Both Airships burst into flame, the landing pilot was killed and 2 remaining crew members seriously injured. Air Mechanic 1st Grade Harold Victor Robinson and Air Mechanic 2nd Grade E E Steer, extricated the pilot and the two injured crew-members, helped them to a place of safety before returning to the burning ship where they detached live bombs, knowing that they may well explode at any time, and carried them away from the flames, the heat from these bombs blistering their hands. For this action Robinson and Steer were each awarded the Albert Medal 1st Class. A testimonial fund was set up which produced £103.8.0d for Robinson, and by his own choice he would be presented with a gold watch, suitably inscribed, and War Bonds for £80, which, when the time came, would enable him to start in business as a motor mechanic. Boy mechanic E E Steer became Aircraftman 1st Class and died on 24th August 1921 whilst aboard the R38 which crashed near Hull killing 44 of her crew. See Plate 8
