Constable Daniel Lawton 58432 of Ardmore Town was awarded the Board of Trade Sea Gallantry Medal for Saving Life, when the schooner 'Teaser' of Montrose was wrecked on the 18th March 1911. He was presented with his medal by the King at Buckingham Palace.
He also received direct from His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant a vote of thanks on vellum and £5 from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. He also received £5 from the Trustees of the Carnegie Hero Fund, in addition to a favourable record, and £3 from the Constabulary authorities. The Irish Times reported the event as follows:
"During a raging gale in Armore Bay, a remote place in Waterford, the sailing-boat Teaser, of Montrose, with a crew of four, was wrecked. There being no life-boat, the curate of the parish, the Rev. John O'Shea, gallantly took out a boat of volunteers, which brought off three men. Unhappily they died of exposure before they reache the shore, Father O'Shea administering the last sacraments on board. Among the rescuers were Mr. William Harris of the Ardmore Hotel, and a policeman names Lawton. One of the crew of the wreck slipped into the sea, and two coastguards, named Barry and Neal jumped in after him. But for Constable Lawton, Barry would probably have been drowned."
With kind permission of Tony Daly, owner of the Coastguards of Yesteryear website, the following text and pictures are reproduced:
On Saturday morning, March 18th, 1911, the schooner "Teaser" of Montrose, was wrecked at Curragh, Ardmore with the loss of all hands, during a terrible storm. The "Teaser" was a small schooner on a voyage from Swansea, and was bound for Killorglin, Dingle Bay. She was owned by a Mr. Ferguson of Connach's Quay, Flintshire, North Wales, She called at Milford Haven, which is supposed to have left on Thursday, when her Captain, Thomas Hughes, set sail on his last tragic voyage to eternity.
When the vessel was sighted off Ardmore in a distressed condition, the coastguards with rocket apparatus hurried to the rescue. Several rockets were fired some of which reached the ship. Three of the drew were observed in the rigging in a pitiful condition, but they were unable to make use of the lines put aboard by the coastguards. Two coastguards, Richard Barry and Alexander Neal, plunged into the icy cold water with mountainous waves breaking over them in a gallant attempt to reach the crew, but had to be pulled from the water in an exhausted condition.
Rev. John O'Shea, Curate of Ardmore, was promptly on the scene. Seeing that the only hope of rescue could be carried out by boat, Fr. O'Shea, accompanied by a crowd of willing hands, procured a boat nearly a mile away from the wreck. It was drawn by horse through old boreens with all possible speed to the scene. Fr. O'Shea put on a lifebelt and called to the crowd for a crew. The men of Ardmore answered the call without hesitation, knowing that to get into an open boat in such appalling weather would have daunted the bravest man. But these men had answered many a call and this was to be no exception. Coastguards Barry and Neal, Constable Lawton, William Harris Hotel keeper, Patrick Power Farmer, John O'Brien boatman and Cornelius O'Brien, a local farmer, formed a crew and with all possible safeguards they pulled the boat into the foaming surf. 
In the teeth of a raging gale and with the seas breaking over, they pulled out from the shore. Through mountainous waves they rowed until they came alongside the "Teaser". The crew of the stricken vessel had lashed themselves to the rigging and were at death's door, when Fr. O'Shea administered the last sacraments to them. In an effort to get them off the rigging, one of them slipped into the sea. Coastguards Barry and Neal jumped from the rigging into the sea and with the aid of Mr. Harris and Constable Lawton, succeeded in getting him back on board.
Coastguard Barry was now exhausted, he collapsed and Fr. O'Shea had to administer the Sacraments to him also. Unfortunately the gallant and heroic efforts of the men of Ardmore failed as all of the crew of the "Teaser" died before they could get them ashore. Dr. Foley and many willing hands did all that was humanly possible for the crew but without avail.
Fr. O'Shea and his crew were so exhausted that they had to be assisted to a neighbouring house. They fortunately recovered from their ordeal. Coastguard Barry was driven to the Coastguard station and quickly recovered his strength.
The following are the names of the crew of the "Teaser", Captain Thomas Hughes, the Mate Fox and Ordinary Seaman Walsh.
For this rescue the brave men of Ardmore were decorated by H.M. the King of England at Buckingham Palace, on May 2nd, 1911. They also received medals and certificates from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. These were presented by the Lord Lieutenant and Lady Aberdeen at the Ui Breasail exhibition.
In 1913 a further wreck off Ardmore - that of the Marechal de Nouailles, resulted in RNLI Silver Gallantry Medals for Coasguards Barry and Neal, and an RNLI Gold medald for Fr O'Shea. also honoured by the RNLI were Sgt M O' Flaherty and Constable Walsh of RIC Ardmore.
Fr. O'Shea received the Empire Gallantry Medal in July 1924 from H.M. the King; the EGM was later to be substituted by the George Cross, the highest award for gallantry available to a British civilian.
The recipients of the Board of Trade Sea Gallantry Medal
Rev. JOHN O'SHEA, Catholic curate, R. BARRY, coastguard 2nd class petty officer, A. NEAL, coastguard, J. O'BRIEN, Volunteer LSA Company, P. Power, W. HARRIS, hotel-keeper, C. O'BRIEN, all of Ardmore, Co. Waterford (Schooner Teaser of Montrose). (18.3.11)
Description
A scarce Edward VII Sea Gallantry Medal group of four awarded to Petty Officer 1st Class Richard Barry, R.N., Ardmore Coastguard, for services at the wreck of the Teaser in 1911
Sea Gallantry Medal, E.VII.R., small 2nd issue, silver (Richard Barry. ‘Teaser” 18th March, 1911); British War Medal 1914-20 (146042 P.O.1, R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (146042 P.O.1Cl., H.M.S. Carron); Royal National Lifeboat Institution, E.VII.R., silver (Mr Richard Barry. Voted 13th April 1911) very fine and better (4) £1800-2200
Footnote
S.G.M. presented by the King 2 February 1911, one of only 54 of this type awarded in silver (1906-10).‘18 March 1911: During a terrific south-easterly gale, the Montrose schooner Teaser was driven ashore near Ardmore Bay, Co. Waterford, Ireland, in a very heavy sea. The rocket apparatus was brought to the scene and lines were thrown over the vessel, but her crew, exhausted and cold, could not make use of them. Aware of this, Messrs. Barry and Neal tried to swim out, but were beaten back to the shore. Father O’Shea then obtained a boat in which he put out with others, including the two coastguardmen. They boarded the wreck, but two of her crew were already dead and the other succumbed shortly afterwards’. (Ref. Lifeboat Gallantry, by Barry Cox).
For their services, The Reverend John O’Shea, Parish Priest of Ardmore, was awarded the R.N.L.I. Medal in gold; Petty Officer Richard Barry and Leading Boatman Alexander Neal, H.M. Coastguard, Ardmore, were each awarded the R.N.L.I. Medal in silver.
For a more detailed account of the rescue attempt, see The Wreck of the Teaser - A Gold Medal Rescue, by John Wilson, in L.S.A.R.S. Journal No. 30, p.22-25.
