Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TheNickelGuy, post: 8176094, member: 20201&quot;]<font size="6"><b>1930 Ville Du Havre Bronze Medal by Poisson</b></font></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1428875[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;[ATTACH=full]1428877[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>This large medal is signed PM Poisson on the reverse.</p><p>Pierre-Marie Poisson was born in Niort France on November 19th 1876 and died in Paris on January 11th 1953. He was a French sculptor and medallist.</p><p>Poisson was chosen to create the sculpture at The Le Havre War Memorial known as Monument de la Victoire.</p><p>The composition has various figures grouped around a central female allegory for &quot;Victory&quot;. The figures on the northern side represent martial virtues with neo-classical warriors and a wounded soldier whilst the southern group cover the civilian virtues with a depiction of a fisherman, a woman holding grapes signifying agricultural abundance and a mother who holds up her child, a symbol of motherhood.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1428873[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>On the reverse is the Coat of arms of Le Havre, a castle that also resembles a crown within a half shell.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have found this medal dated by engraving as early as 1942 but have seen it identified as a 1930 medal.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1428874[/ATTACH]</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I don&#039;t know if there is any connection, but there was a French ship named SS Ville Du Havre that met disaster, sinking in 12 minutes after colliding with an English ship named Loch Earn in 1873.</p><p>Shortly after the collision, Ville du Havre&#039;s main and mizzen masts collapsed, smashing two of the liner&#039;s life boats and killing several people. The time for saving life was very short, and as it sank it broke into two pieces as she went down.</p><p>Captain Robertson of Loch Earn did all he possibly could to rescue the drowning and eventually 61 passengers and 26 of the crew were rescued and taken on board that ship.</p><p>However, 226 passengers and crew perished.</p><p>Loch Earn, herself in danger of sinking, was subsequently rescued by an American cargo ship, The Tremountain, and all Ville du Havre passengers and crew were transferred to that ship. Loch Earn, with its bow smashed in, commenced to sink as the bulkheads gave way, so she was abandoned at sea by her crew and sank shortly afterwards.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1428872[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in