IE LMOD 2411
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Item
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Twentieth Century
Medal awarded to William Deans as part of the Deeds of Bravery Act 1947 in recognition for him saving three sailors.
William 'The Hero' Deans
This is the first ever medal awarded under the Deeds of Bravery Act, 1947. It was presented to docker William Deans, who rescued three sailors overcome by fumes in the hold of a coal ship berthed at Sir John Rogerson's Quay. The medal was stolen from William's home in 1958. After it passed through two Dublin pawn shops and a London auctioneer, William's son, Christopher, recovered the medal... 58 years later! To be a real hero, all you have to do is act.