Greetings - looking for info about grand dad's medal.

Hi Mike - not much luck finding more info about the incident yet. I can tell you that there are two other medals like this on auction sites identical except for the names on each so there were at least 3 of these medals awarded on this occasion.

My dad tells me it was an ammunition ship, or carrying a large cargo of ammunition. So I suppose it must have been a pretty risky operation.

Thanks for moving the post Diane. It is a nice memento and I'm sorry that I never met him since by all accounts he had an interesting life.

Here is a picture of the old guy aboard the Battlecruiser H.M.S. Hood - this was taken in 1933 in Gibraltar on the spring cruise. He is the one in the middle with the cap and the medals and the three stripes on his sleeve.

Sad to think that some of these lads may have gone down with her.

 

Another Presidential medal for the Balabac rescue...
UNITED STATES OR AMERICA, Presidential Lifesaving Medal, 2nd. type, gold, reverse inscribed "To C. W. Barcock, seaman H.M.S. Nelson, in recognition of his heroic services, when a member of the crew of H.M.S. Calcutta, to the Master and Crew of the Am
On the evening of March 6th. 1920, a bunker fire took hold and was soon out of control on the American wooden hulled vessel Balabac.

 

Nice one Kevin. That note goes on...

On the evening of March 6th. 1920, a bunker fire took hold and was soon out of control on the American wooden hulled vessel Balabac lying in the harbour of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Officers and men from H.M.S. Calcutta went to assist in fighting the fire and, when the fire spread to the rest of the ship, assisted in taking off the crew. Mr Henry Baker, U.S. Consul at Trinidad reported to the U.S. State Department "I judge that the assistance rendered was most important and probably resulted in the saving of life. Moreover it was a plucky kind and rendered at considerable personal risk to those who undertook it".

 

Thanks, Steve, I couldn't access the remainder of the Citation!
HMS Calcutta was stationed in the West Indies and North America at the time, fairly new ship and crew! Obviously very appreciated!