Thanks for the reply Shellback. I'd be delighted if it was the same man. The 1911 census suggests there were 3 Thomas Murphys living on the street, sailors all, though I would imagine only one was a lifesaver.
'My' Thomas Murphy was awarded a Sea Gallantry Medal for his actions while serving as Mate of the Ocean Maid on 6 March 1908. The Ocean Maid, a two masted 100 ton schooner which had been built in 1861 in Fraserburgh and was owned by Patrick Byrne of Wexford, was carrying coal from Newport, Monmouthshire to Wexford. It had been at anchor in Rosslare Bay when a force 10 north-westerly gale resulted in it becoming stranded in the harbour on the west side of the pier. Coastguards from the Coastguard Station at Ballygeary, under Chief Officer Mulligan, brought out the rocket apparatus, the first rocket successfully trailing a line to the ship. Three of the crew, including Thomas Murphy, were thus safely landed in a breeches buoy. The Master, Thomas Kehoe, one of Wexford’s longest serving captains, was a heavy man of 67 and, having seen his crew ashore, put himself with some difficulty into the breeches buoy. When about 20 yards from the wreck he fell out of the buoy into the sea and was unable to grab the whip cord and sank beneath the water. Thomas Murphy and Coastguards Smith and Lennard rushed into the surf and at great risk brought him ashore. Although artificial respiration was attempted for two hours, Captain Kehoe failed to revive.
He then got another medal from Lloyds in 1917 for saving several people when his ship was sunk by a mine.
Any further info would be great.
Roger
