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The following is a direct transcription from an article in a Belfast or Portadown, Ireland, newspaper in 1902. Unfortunately the name of the paper and date of the article are lost. It regards John George Brew jnr.'s part in the rescue of the entire crew of the German ship Helene, which was in difficulty and taking water following a hurricane in the mid-Atlantic Ocean, while he was serving as 2nd Mate of the steamship SS Torr Head.
"GALLANTRY OF LOCAL SEAMEN.
RECOGNITION BY THE GERMAN EMPEROR.
PRESENTATION IN THE CUSTOM HOUSE.
A special meeting of the Local Marine Board was held at one o’clock yesterday afternoon in the Custom House for the purpose of presenting awards for gallantry to Captain Thompson, Sub-Lieutenant H. L. Butt, second officer; Mr. J. G. Brew, third officer; and several of the crew of the steamship Torr Head for gallantry in saving life at sea, on the 1st February last, when, in very heavy weather, the crew of the German sailing ship Helene were rescued in mid-Atlantic.
The presentations were a magnificent gold watch, suitably inscribed, and bearing a portrait of H.I.M. the German Emperor to Captain Thompson; each of the officers received a pair of handsome and good binocular glasses in a suitable case; Quarter-masters James Morgan and Thomas Hughes each received £6; and three seamen named Thomas Lavery, Andrew McKay, and William Laverty were given £5 each - all the gifts being from the German Emperor.
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The Lord Major (the Right Honourable Sir Daniel Dixon, D.L.) presided, and there were also present - Mr. A. M. Ferrar, D. L., representing Sir Otto Jaffé, J.P., the German Consul, Mr. F. L. Heyn, J.P. of the Ulster Steamship Co., owners of the Torr Head; Captain Porter, Captain Herdman, Mr. R. W. Corry, J.P.; Mr. A. B. Wilson, Mr. A. MacLaine, J.P.; and Lieutenant Wolfe Smyth, R.N.R., secretary representing the Local Marine Board; Lieutenant Ussher, R.N.R.; Mr. Henry Boyd, and Mr. A. Griffenhoofe Jones, B.A., travelling [sic] secretary of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society. |
Lieutenant Wolfe Smyth, having read the notice convening the meeting, detailed the circumstances under which the awards had been gained. He said that on 1st February, 1902, the ss. Torr Head, belonging to the Ulster Steam-..." [ship Company, on a voyage from Barry to New Orleans, experienced a hurricane which] "...drove her about 120 miles southward of her course. On the 2nd the weather moderated slightly, and at 10-30 on the morning of the 3rd a sailing ship was seen some considerable distance away. The weather was still bad, a heavy cross sea running, and the Torr Head was labouring heavily. Mr. Brew, third officer, who was the officer on watch when the vessel was first sighted, thought from the small amount of sail that she carried (a fore-topmast staysail only) that something was wrong, and reported the matter to Captain Thompson, who immediately ordered his ship be kept away for the supposed ship in distress. Great credit is due to Captain Thompson for having kept his vessel away so promptly, and also to the officer on watch, Mr. Brew, for having divined that the vessel was in distress and informing his captain without delay.
| However, these officers were only carrying out the orders of the Ulster Steamship Company, who direct that in any cases where there may be any likelihood of life or property being in danger, all steps to ascertain if such is the case are to be taken at once, and, if necessary, all possible assistance rendered. On nearing the vessel, which was found to be the Helene of Bremen, what remained of her flags composing her signals of dis..." [tress were observed, and Captain Thompson] "...ordered away No. 1 lifeboat, in charge of Mr. Butt, second officer. A dangerous sea was still running, therefore Mr. Butt called for volunteers to man the boat, on which "all hands" volunteered, and the only difficulty the officer experienced was in selecting from the number of good men the five to form the boat’s crew. |
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However, without loss of time, five men and two officers - Mr. Butt in charge and Mr. Brew to assist - were lowered in the boat, and proceeded towards the Helene.
On getting close to the ship it was seen that she was in a terrible plight - bulwarks gone, all boats and deck fittings washed away, cabin gutted, and all her sails blown away, and the vessel with a heavy list, and apparently half full of water. Owing to the heavy rolling of the Helene, it was a dangerous and most difficult task getting alongside her. Considerable help was, however rendered by the crew of the Helene, who poured the contents of several barrels of oil - with which the ship was laden - over the side, which had the effect of calming the sea considerably. Two trips were made between the Torr Head and the Helene, and the entire crew, consisting of twenty men, was taken off without accident, and the lifeboat hoisted again only two hours after leaving the Torr Head on her first trip. This was good and smart boatwork, but the fact of the boat’s crew being composed of experienced boatmen, from our own coasts of Down and Antrim, no doubt accounts for the quickness and safety with which the work of saving life was accomplished.
The crew of the Helene were quite exhausted when taken on board the Torr Head, and it was subsequently ascertained from them that they had been pumping for thirty-six hours, standing up to their waists in water, and that an hour before the Torr Head was sighted they had given up all hope, there being eight feet of water in the hold, and gaining on the pumps. There is no doubt the vessel could have lived for only a very short time. The captain of the Helene very pluckily set fire to his vessel before leaving, and the boat was hardly clear of the ship before she was a mass of flames fore and aft. Five minutes after being set on fire, when the boat was three hundred yards distant, she blew up, and fragments of the wreck were thrown a considerable distance, a portion falling around the boat, but fortunately without doing any harm to the occupants.
The Lord Mayor, addressing Captain Thompson, his officers, and seamen, said he had great pleasure in being there that day to be the medium of presenting him and his officers and men with the rewards sent by his Imperial Majesty the German Emperor, for their very meritorious service in rescuing the crew of the ship Helene in February last in mid-Atlantic. He understood the rescue was carried out under very exceptional circumstances, the sea being very rough at the time. When volunteers were called to man the lifeboat, he was informed that the entire crew volunteered for the work. This was very creditable, and he understood the only trouble was making a selection of who would be sent to the boat. The rescue was made without any mishap and the..." [several lines unreadable] ".... were rendered by the captain and crew of a local steamer, with his usual readiness at all times to reward bravery had sent a beautiful gold watch for the captain, and binocular glasses for each of the officers, Mr. Butt and Mr. Brew, who were in the boat, along with money awards of £6 each for each of the two quarter-masters, and £5 each for the three sailors. He was sure they would prize these rewards very much having regard to the high source they came from. (Applause)
The Lord Mayor then handed the gifts to those who had been honoured.
The inscription on the case containing the binocular glass for Mr. Brew is in German, the following being a translation :- "We, William, by Grace of God, German Emperor, King of Prussia, wills to present to the third officer, Mr. J. G. Brew, of the British steamer Torr Head, this acknowledgment for the help rendered to the crew of the lost German ship Helene when in distress". A similar inscription was on Mr. Butt’s case.
Captain Thompson, in thanking the Lord Mayor, said he would always treasure that handsome watch not only for its intrinsic value, but also on account of the source from which it came. It was a high honour that such a comparatively small matter as the saving of a ship’s crew should be taken notice of by his Imperial Majesty the German Emperor, and he would always remember the gift. He could not have earned it if he had not had the crew in the ship which he had on that occasion. They were men from our own coasts, from the counties of Antrim and Down. (Applause.) The officers were English - one was an honest ‘Geordie’ and the other a good Bristolian - and they were the right material for carrying out such work and performing such deeds. It was the first time he had ever saved a crew, and he was truly delighted and thankful to have succeeded. (Applause.) It was with no small feelings of thankfulness that he saw his men safely back on the Torr Head again. There were times when it was exceedingly difficult to get close to a vessel in distress, but he was in a ship built by...[unreadable]... Harland and Wolff, a twin screw steamer, with which anything could be done. Through Mr. Butt’s carefulness everything was in the boat, and she left the ship with everything ready, having always been kept in a state of preparedness for every emergency. He would like through the German Consul to express his thanks and those of the officers and men for the handsome gifts they had received. (Applause.)
| Mr. F. L. Heyn wished to take that opportunity of asking the Lord Mayor to be the means of making the captain and officers a further presentation on behalf of the German Red Cross Society, which was similar to our own Royal Humane Society. That society had promptly recognised the services rendered by the captain, officers, and crew of the Torr Head, and through the German Consul, Sir Otto Jaffé - who they were sorry was unable to be present - had forwarded certificates for their acceptance. |
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Attached to Captain Thompson’s was a gold medal, and to Mr. Butt’s and Mr. Brew’s silver medals. A sum of £2 8s 4d was also sent for each of the men who manned the lifeboat, but that money had been given to them when it was received. He was sure it was extremely gratifying to all present to know that all those men who manned the boat were still members of the crew of the Torr Head, although the matter occurred many months ago. (Hear, hear.)
Indeed, they had been on the steamer for a long time prior to February, and he hoped would remain in her for many years to come. (Applause.)
The Lord Mayor then presented the certificates and medals amid applause.
Mr. A. M. Ferrar said, as acting German Consul, he wished to thank the Lord Mayor most sincerely on behalf of his Imperial Majesty the German Emperor for the kind way in which he had presented the watch and other gifts to the captain, officers, and crew of the Torr Head. He (Mr. Ferrar) would not fail to see that a summary of what had occurred at that meeting was put before the German Board of Trade as well as brought under the notice of his Imperial Majesty. (Applause.) It was with more than ordinary pleasure that he saw the Lord Mayor acting as he had done on that occasion, and his presence greatly enhanced the value of the gifts, for he was the largest ship owner in Ireland and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. (Applause.) He thanked the Lord Mayor most sincerely for having conveyed the gifts. (Applause.)
The Lord Mayor, in reply, said his duties, although very pleasant, were very light on that occasion, and he was only too glad to have been the medium of conveying the gifts to captain, officers, and crew. It was a great matter to find that the same crew remained so long in the Torr Head, and frequent changes were a great drawback. He was glad that Captain Thompson could keep his crew together, and he was sure they all thanked his Imperial Majesty for having so gracefully recognised an act of bravery. (Applause.)
This concluded the proceedings."
John George's silver medal, the binoculars case with it's inscription in German, the above and other newspaper articles, along with a few photos of John George and the crew, including Captain Thompson, have been in the possession of the shipping company G. Heyn and Son for some fifty years. Unfortunately, the binoculars no longer exist. However, with the great kindness of Mr. Michael Maclaran, the company's Managing Director, permission was obtained on 20 April 1998 to have all of the items returned to the family, into the hands of John George's grandson, Graham Brew, who lives in Belfast. It has been a great thrill to obtain all of this material, and I express my most sincere thanks to Mr. Maclaran for his generosity.