Presentation cup to Captain Edward W. Freeman, in recognition of his gallantry at the destruction of St Pierre, Martinique in 1902.

A two-handled silver cup, with no lid, the scroll handles decorated with acanthus leaves. One side of the cup is plain; the other is inscribed: 'PRESENTED BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO EDWARD WILLIAM FREEMAN, MASTER OF THE STEAMSHIP "RODDAM", OF LONDON, IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF HIS GALLANTRY AND DEVOTION TO DUTY, ON THE OCCASION OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TOWN OF ST. PIERRE, MARTINIQUE, BY A VOLCANIC ERUPTION ON THE 8TH MAY, 1902'.

SS 'Roddam', a general cargo ship trading between London and the West Indies, reached St Pierre on the day when the volcano Mont Pelée erupted. Captain Freeman's swift action in navigating his ship out of harbour to St Lucia, saved the 'Roddam' and part of her crew, and this was the only vessel to escape from St Pierre. Captain Freeman of Liverpool, her captain for four years, was injured, 17 of the officers and crew were killed, and the ship arrived at St Lucia with her decks covered with 120 tons of volcanic ash and her rigging detroyed. Reuters reported: 'The survivors of the Roddam's crew are loud in their praises of the heroism shown by the captain in steering the vessel out of danger with his own hands, which were badly burned by the rain of fire'. The Walton Gazette of 27 August 1902 reported: 'at a meeting of the Liverpool Marine Board on Thursday, Captain Freeman was presented, on behalf of the British Government, with a handsome silver vase, suitably inscribed, in acknowledgment of his gallantry and devotion to duty on the occasion of the detruction of St Pierre in May last'. SS 'Roddam' was sunk in 1905 in Siberia, near the entrance to the Yenesai River.

The Museum also acquired Captain Freeman's lifesaving medals awarded for the same feat (MED1675, MED1676, MED1677), together with a sample of the volcanic ash from the deck of SS ‘Roddam’ (REL0309) and photographs of the ship, Captain Freeman, and scrapbooks of press cuttings relating to the eruption (MSS/84/106), including his own account in 'Pearson's Magazine' for 1902.