Boatswain's Mate Matthew Gillick, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on November 20, 1883 in Marseille, France — a peacetime act of courage recognized in the Interim 1871 - 1899 period. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Lancaster. Gillick was about 31 years old.
One other service member also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.
Gillick was born in 1852 in Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island. His Medal of Honor is credited to Rhode Island. His medal is held by Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Mt. Pleasant, SC.
Official 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.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Places
- Born: Providence — map
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Rhode Island →
Timeline
- 1852Born in Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island
- November 20, 1883Act of valor — Marseille, FranceAge about 31. U.S.S. Lancaster
Biography
Matthew Gillick (born 1852, date of death unknown) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.
From the Wikipedia article “Matthew Gillick”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →