Translate into English and any info. / Societe Centrale de Sauvetage des Naufrages?
I have a silver medallion awarded to Monsieur William de Lignemare (Following his name it reads "Temoignage de Reconnaissance 1924 "), sourrounded by oakleaves. It was Presented by, Societe Centrale de Sauvetage des Naufrages. It's larger and heavier then a silver dollar. On the flip side is a depiction of a ship going down during a storm with sailers in the water and clinging to the ships mast, being rescued by men in a life raft. I have no idea what this is and would appreciate any information you can offer.
Comments
It's literally "Central company of Rescue of the Shipwrecks".
Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer (SNSM) is a French voluntary organisation founded in 1967 by merging the Société Centrale de Sauvetage des Naufragés (founded in 1865) and the Hospitaliers Sauveteurs Bretons (1873). Its task is saving lives at sea around the French coast, including the overseas départments and territories.
In contrast to the comparable British/Irish, Dutch and German organisations the SNSM is not entirely financed by private donations, but also by contributions of the national government, the regions, the départements and the local communities.
Temoignage de Reconnaissance is translated as "Testimony of Recognition".
Here's a translated article about SNSM:
The men of station SNSM of Audierne, national Company of the rescuers at sea, know perfectly the sea and its risks; a need when one must sail by all times. 20 men train the crew of station SNSM of Audierne. They know all the potential dangers of the sea and the rocks of the Strong currents of Centre, pitiless toward the sailors.
They are former fishing sailors, pensioners of the national or merchant Navy. But they are also people trained with the first aid, garage hands, plungers. Some members of the crew also work on platforms offshore oil rig and are thus present during two months of following ground, available to reinforce the crew, a crew resulting from various horizons, but which has only one concern: to render service. These men proceed on average to about thirty interventions per annum, to which an exit of drive once per month is added. 2005 are a "good year" because they for the moment did not intervene that with 22 recoveries.
introduce Jean-Yves Lescop, president of station SNSM of Audierne.
Louis Arhan, 60 years, is the owner of the boat of intervention since 2001. Former fileyor, accustomed coasts of the Cape Sizun,
it knows the least rock perfectly, here it is crucial
underline Jean-Yves Lescop.
If this former fishing sailor devotes himself today to the rescue at sea, it is to come to assistance of the others. It is also because it feels concerned:
At the time of a first exit with my fishing vessel, I broke down and the SNSM came to tow me. Today, it is my son who is on water as lignor; perhaps he takes risks and will have a need day for our assistance
entrust it.
The rescue at sea:
The Rescuers at sea are gathered since 1967 within an association, law 1901, recognized public utility: The National Company of Rescue at sea (S.N.S.M.).
The S.N.S.M. was born from the amalgamation of two Companies centenaries:
* 1865 - Central company of Rescue of the Shipwrecked men
* 1873 - Hospital Breton Rescuers
The S.N.S.M. counts 232 stations of rescue : the 2/3 permanent ones and small around fifty only opened the summer. These stations are distributed on all the coasts of France and in the DOM/TOM. Two new stations have just been open: MAYOTTE (the Comoros) and (New Caledonia).
At the first times of the rescue, each exit often concerned heroism, and the exploit was daily. Today, the Rescuers at sea leave by very hard seas that could not have faced the rescuers of the beginning of the century with their boats with oars and veils. The modern materials make it possible to move back the limits always further from the exploit. These entirely voluntary men leave in intervention, some is the hour of the day and the night, in the 15 minutes which follow the release of alarm.
But remain the same values which made these men, with the passing of years and rescues, of the heroes: courage, solidarity, voluntary help, competence. Since always, the authorities had in heart to reward exemplary bravery for these sailors and testified the recognition to them to the very whole Company, in their decreeing the highest distinctions. Twelve rescuers of the SNSM lost the life on mission of help during twenty last years. You want to know some more: click!
The link is:
http://tools.search.yahoo.com/language/translation...
Here's a translated link about a medal recipient...
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&...
'Central Society for the Saving (Rescue?)of Shipwreck (ed Sailors)'? I would hazard a guess that it is the French (possibly Belgian) society that runs lifeboats, like our Royal National Lifeboat Institution here in the UK. That fits in with the depiction of a sinking ship. I also guess that M. William de Lignemare had done something fairly brave to merit the medal. The French on the medal means 'Testimony of Recognition'
It must be a silver medal awarded to Mr Lignemare for having participated in a shipwreck rescue operation. The awarding body is called the "Central Association for the Rescue of Shipwrecks"
The translation is "Central Company of the Rescue of Shipwrecks". The other phrase is "testimony of recognition"
The SCSN was an organization that rescued people at sea. Similar to the Coast Guard in the United States, although it is a private organization founded in 1865.
Website of its successor organization (French):
http://mroparz.free.fr/securite_maritime.htm
Some history (English):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9_Nat...
Longer article in French:
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9_nat...
The following is from:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&...
"The year 1865 at sea marks the creation of the Central Company of Rescue of the Shipwrecked men, whose first president is the Admiral Rigault de Genouilly, as well as the one period beginning of improvement of the conditions of help with the shipwrecked men of Iroise.
"From 1866 of the boats rescuers are placed in bay of Lampaul to Ushant and Molène and Sein; they are gréés so that they replace with advantage the launches of pilot which intervene to help the shipwrecked men and to help the boats in difficulty.
"The first house-shelter (13,25 m X 6,60 m) can contain a boat of ten meters. The first lifeboat in Ushant is Anaïs, a small whale-boat with 9,78 m length oars, propelled by 10 oars, garaged at the bottom of the port of Lampaul, setting to water by means of a carriage.
"Anaïs is transferred onto all the spot of shipwreck, but by storms of south-west, it is impossible for him to leave bay of Lampaul to intervene in the south or the east of the island.
"In 1884, in the North-East of the island is created in Stiff one second station of rescue complementary to that of Lampaul directed in the West. The operations in Stiff are difficult because of slope at 15% and of the swell entering by wind of north and east.
In 1884, second Anaïs replaces the first; it 11,50 m is long and is armed with 12 oars; it weighs 3,3 tons. In 1885-1886, it is built in Lampaul second a 15 m length shelter being next to the first. This hangar will be used as burning vault, on June 15, 1896, after the shipwreck of Drummond-Castle where in spite of the intervention at sea of the Anais boats (2nd of the name) of Lampaul, Admiral Rigault de Genouilly of Stiff and Admiral Roussin de Molène, one deplores 243 corpses."
if you would like to translate go to www.babelfish.yahoo.com. They translate any language