Silver medal for coxswain: ‘Green Ranger’ service

In recognition of the ‘courage, determination and faultless seamanship by Coxswain Sydney Cann, so ably assisted by his crew’ in going to the help of the Admiralty tanker – Green Ranger – which went ashore on the rocks at Hartland, awards have been made by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

To Coxswain Cann goes the institute’s silver medal and accompanying vellum, and to the other seven members the thanks of the institution inscribed on vellum. They are: Second Coxswain J R Bowden, bowman W G Cann, motor mechanic L G W Richards, assistant mechanic T J Jewell, deckhands W Evans, S Bowden and C Cox.

The vellums will be prepared for signature by HRH Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. Coxswain Cann, who will be 63 next month, already holds RNLI medals and expressions of thanks. His first bronze medal arose from the rescue of men from a drifting section of what was to be part of the Normandy artificial harbour, and the second for rescue work when the Spanish steamer Monte Gurugu founded.

The seven men on the Green Ranger were rescued by breeches buoy by the Hartland LSA crew.

Gazette article dated 22 February 1963