Obverse: Head of George IV (left). Legend outer: 'ROYAL NATIONAL INSTITUTION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF LIFE FROM SHIPWRECK'. Legend inner: 'GEORGE THE FOURTH PATRON 1824'. Below truncation.: 'W WYON MINT'. Reverse: Three men in a boat pulling a fourth out of the water, a broken spar below. Legend: 'LET NOT THE DEEP SWALLOW ME UP'. On spar: 'W. WYON MINT'. Inscription on edge: 'LIEUT. THOS. LEIGH. R.N. VOTED 21 SEP:1831'. Suspended from a straight bar and dark blue ribbon.

Thomas Leigh (1786-1846) entered the Royal Navy in 1803. He served in HMS 'Conqueror' at Trafalgar as an ordinary seaman and later as midshipman and master's mate in 'Melampus'. He was confirmed Lieutenant in the 'Bristol' in 1814, being superceded due to ill health in May 1818. From 1827 he served in the coastguard. While stationed at Winterton, near Great Yarmouth, he received the RNLI Gold Medal for his part in rescuing the crew of 'Arabella 'of Newcastle, driven on shore near Yarmouth on 26 November 1830. He was awarded three other RNLI awards which are not in the Museum's collections - in silver for the wreck of the 'St Nicholas' 22 February 1825 and 'Blackbirds' 30 April 1835. He was also awarded a gold boat as a bar to his gold medal for the 'Crauford Davison' 20 March 1833. He retired with the rank of Commander in 1835 and died in 1846 while resident in Wapping.