Matthew Gillick

He jumped overboard to save a boy who fell off a stone pier.

Matthew Gillick was born at Providence, Rhode Island, in 1852 and entered the United States Navy from that state. By November 1883 he was serving as a boatswain's mate aboard USS Lancaster, a steam sloop deployed in European waters.

On 20 November Lancaster was at Marseille, France. A French boy fell into the sea from a stone pier behind the ship. Gillick jumped overboard from the vessel and went to the boy's aid. Ordinary Seaman Apprentice John F. Auer also entered the water, and the sailors rescued the child from drowning.

The Medal of Honor recognized Gillick's prompt action in entering the water to save a civilian. His official citation records the ship, location and the circumstances of the rescue. It was an award for lifesaving courage during peacetime naval service, distinct from a battle decoration.

The Navy announced the award in General Order No. 326 on 18 October 1884, nearly a year after the rescue. Auer received the same decoration for his part. The citation preserves his name among the nineteenth-century sailors whose bravery protected life beyond their own ship’s company.

Medal of Honor citation

Serving on board the U.S.S. Lancaster at Marseille, France, 20 November 1883. Jumping overboard from the Lancaster, Gillick rescued from drowning a French lad who had fallen into the sea from a stone pier astern of the ship.