Wateringbury hero (1903)

Post date: Jan 10, 2012 6:7:55 PM

Bow Bridge was evidently a dangerous place. It had been proposed that any money left over from the collections for Queen Victoria's golden jubilee in 1897, after building the lych gate, should go towards life-saving equipment to be located at Bow Bridge. The following article appeared in the Wateringbury Parish magazine of November 1903. If true and the Royal Humane society award is persuasive, a 'Good Record' seems somewhat of an understatement!

A GOOD RECORD.

The Royal Humane Society has awarded its certificate for saving life to Mr. Edward A. Avery, who is well-known locally as a very pleasant fellow, and owner of boats for hire at Bow Bridge. He builds violins as well as boats, and to other accomplishments has added that of rescuing people in danger of being drowned. He has already saved eleven lives in this way, the last one being that of one of our school-boys. Whereupon the boys, on their own initiative, subscribed and presented Avery with a pipe. Like most men of action, he does not talk of his deeds, and this is the first case which has come to the knowledge of the Royal Humane Society; otherwise doubtless he would long ago have received the Society's medal. The certificate was presented at a Smoker held at the King's Head. Mr. Augustus Leney presided. The Smoker appears to have been organised somewhat suddenly, and the Vicar, Mr. E. A. Smith and others with sincere regret had to say they could not attend. We hear that the Maidstone Swimming Club has presented Mr. Avery with a gold medal. We are glad to be able to record such gallantry in the annals of our parish.

The postcard above, courtesy of Chris Davies, is dated 1909.

The National Maritime Museum holds (reference TN 11298) a copy of the lease dated 19th April 1907 that Avery signed for the boathouse. His full name is Edward Alfred Avery and he is described as a boat builder living at 2 1/2 Douglas Road, Maidstone. He leased the boathouse from Albert Hutson also of Maidstone and described as a barge owner. The property is described as "all that piece of land situate on the north bank of the Medway of the River Medway near Wateringbury Railway Station and in the parish of Nettlestead in the said county of Kent used as a Pleasure Boat Wharf together with the two storey Boat House erected on the said piece of land......together also with a right of way as a means of access to and from the premises". It was a full repairing lease for 21 years (lessee could terminate after 14 years) at a rent of £25 p.a., liable for all taxes and an obligation to insure against fire in the value of £100 in joint names; the lease restricted the use to the " business of letting out pleasure boats and the sale of refreshments" and the Hutson as lessor agreed not to non-compete clause within 2 miles of Wateringbury.

Although the lessor, Albert Hutson is described as from Maidstone Hutson is a well known Wateringbury name and in 1836 a Hutson owned the wharf and is referred to evidence presented to parliament on the Navigation of the Medway.

For a description of the old Bow Bridge, where Avery had his boat hire business, at this time see Bow Bridge past effectual repair. For details of an actual drowning in the Medway go to Drunk Hopper drowns. For details of a swimmer training in the Medway in the same year as Avery won his award go to Wateringbury favoured for cross-channel swim training. For suicide in Medway see Suicide in Medway (1768). For a Wateringbury woman drowning at Yalding locks see Wateringbury Woman drowns in Medway (1853). See also Grand Duke on Medway (1897)

The King's Head stood at the south-east corner of the cross-roads. Formerly a private house it opened as a the King's Head Inn in 1785. It was owned by Augustus Leney (one son of 'Frederick Leney & Sons' the brewers) at the date of the 'smoker' held there for Edward Avery. It ceased trading in 1938.

This postcard showing the King's Head is courtesy of Chris Davies. The stamp on the other side was canceled in 1907.

The Royal Humane Society is a charity that grants awards for acts of bravery in the saving of human life and, also, for the restoration of life by resuscitation. Founded in 1774, it has made 85,000 awards altogether.

See also Rescue at Wardens Mill Pond (1913) for another award by the Society 10 years later.