Mark Addy

Mark Anthony Addy AM ( – 9 June 1890) was a publican and champion oarsman, from Manchester, England, who was awarded the Albert Medal (AM), and a number of other honours, for the rescue of over 50 people from the then highly-polluted River Irwell in the 19th century. The Albert Medal was later superseded by the George Cross as the highest civilian or non-combat gallantry award in the British honours system.

Early life Mark Addy was born around 1840 at 2 Stage Buildings, The Parsonage, an Italianate-style tenement on the banks of the River Irwell near Blackfriars Bridge in Manchester, Lancashire. His father was a boatman, who was born in County Clare, Ireland named Mark Antoni Addy (1801–1865), while his mother was from Suffolk named Elizabeth Brown. Addy was one of the younger children; he was his parents' eighth child. The others being Henry, Joseph (who died as a child), Richard, Julia, Mary, Catharine, and Joseph. Addy assisted his father with the family boat-hire business on the river. At the age of 13, Addy rescued one of his friends, John Booth, who had fallen into the Irwell, which ran along the side of his house. Although Addy was himself unable to swim he effected the rescue by wading out up to his chin and pulled the boy ashore. The same boy was rescued by Addy some time later, when he fell into a pool of deep water, but this time Addy floated out on a plank to rescue him.

Later life In his teens, Addy learned to swim at Greengate Public Baths in Salford, and over the next few years became an expert swimmer. He also became a proficient oarsman over the same course for £100. He was the head of the famous "Colleen Bawn" crew, who were so named when the proprietor of Queen's Theatre in Manchester gave a prize, on condition that the winning crew became known by the name of his latest theatre production. as the Industrial Revolution progressed it became more polluted, and when the Suez Canal was opened in 1869, the Irwell was jokingly renamed the "Sewage Canal". However, the increasingly poisonous condition of the river did not deter him from plunging in at a moment's notice:

quote|On one occasion Addy was returning from a funeral in a new black suit, with a valuable gold watch in his pocket, when the cry went up "a child is in the river!" Mark rushed to the spot and "without divesting himself of a single garment" plunged in and rescued the child. As he stood dripping, before the crowd of excited onlookers, one said "Mark, tha has spoiled tha clothes." "What of that" came the answer "I reckon it will also have made a mess of my watch, but it does not matter, there was a life in the job at stake."

Awards and honours Salford Town HallIn January 1878, before a large crowd of people at Salford Town Hall in Bexley Square, Addy was presented with a loyal address of appreciation by the Mayor of Salford and awarded with a purse of 200 guineas for his heroic deeds, by the people of Salford. to which the members of the nearby Nemesis Rowing Club added a gold clasp as a token of their appreciation. He was awarded a number of other medals including the Silver Medal of the Humane Society for the Hundred of Salford and the Bronze Medal of the Royal Humane Society.

In November 1878, Addy received the following letter from the Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli:

quote|10 Downing Street, Whitehall, 6th November, 1878

Sir,

The attention of the Sovereign having been called to the repeated acts of heroism performed by you in saving, at the risk of your own life, those of many of her majesty's subjects from drowning in the River Irwell, I have the gratification to inform you that the Queen has been graciously pleased to confer on you, in recognition of your gallantry and daring, the honour and distinction of the Albert Medal of the first class. I have accordingly instructed the Secretary of State to take the necessary steps to give effect to her majesty's commands.

I have the honour to be your obedient servant,—

BEACONSFIELD

He was presented with the Albert Medal, First Class, by the Mayor of Salford, Alderman Robinson, on behalf of Queen Victoria in the large assembly room of Salford Town Hall in Bexley Square in June 1879.

Memorials Not long after his death it was decided that a memorial should be erected and, in May 1891, 1,000 people attended the unveiling of the monument in Weaste Cemetery, Weaste, Salford where he was buried. The monument consisted of a polished red granite obelisk rising from a stepped base. On the front was inscribed:

Above the inscription was a carved lifebuoy and rope entwining his initials and, above that, an oval bronze plaque inscribed with the portrait head of Addy. On the base was another bronze plaque depicting incidents from his life. The monument still stands today and is a Grade II listed structure, although it is in poor condition, with one of the bronze plaques missing.

Because of the large number of subscriptions to the memorial fund a life-size oil portrait of him wearing his medals was commissioned and donated to the Peel Park Picture Gallery, now the Salford Museum and Art Gallery, and a swimming trophy for Salford boys to be presented at Regent Road Baths, the Mark Addy Silver Cup, was instigated. built in 1981 and re-opened in 2009.