WRECKS AND RESCUES 267 



impression in this country and Germany. Steps were 

 taken to recognise the heroism of Skipper Wright, and 

 his reward took the practical shape of a smack. The 

 blame for the collision was, by an Admiralty Court at 

 Bremerhaven, attributed to the Crathie ; but it was con- 

 sidered that the Elbe was not free from reproach for 

 not getting out of the way of the Crathie and failing to 

 attract that vessel's attention by signalling on her 

 whistle. 



The recognition of Skipper Wright's bravery is 

 amongst the comparatively few cases in which the cour- 

 ageous acts of North Sea men have been rewarded. 

 These acts are so numerous, and smacksmen are so little 

 given to speaking of them and there are no halfpenny 

 illustrated and other journals on the North Sea. Yet it 

 sometimes happens that an unusual deed will be brought 

 to public notice, and such was the case not long ago, 

 with the result that the Stanhope Gold Medal for the 

 bravest deed of the year 1910 was awarded to a North 

 Sea man, and eventually presented to him by the King 

 at Buckingham Palace. 



Many of these acts of heroism on the North Sea go 

 unrecorded in the Press indeed, few of them are known 

 outside small circles, and even then they are taken as 

 matters of course ; but sometimes a North Sea man is 

 brought unwillingly to the front, and is compelled to 

 accept public attention and receive recognition of his 

 conduct. The Stanhope Gold Medal and ^5, awarded 

 by the Royal Humane Society for the bravest deed of 

 the year, were presented on i4th February 1911 to 

 Frank Fraser, chief engineer of the steam-trawler Don- 

 side, of Aberdeen. The Donside, a steel vessel of 59 



