RAS-2003 — Page 251

RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 All AI Reviewed

# 201

THE HISTORY OF THE BELILIOS STAR: HONG KONG'S OWN LIFE-SAVING MEDAL

DAVID MAHONEY

Having acquired a named silver Belilios Star at a recent London auction, I have been persuaded to write a piece on this rare medal, which is Hong Kong's own life-saving award.

This particular Star, hallmarked 1884 - the year of its institution - is named to F. Horspool, who is thought to be Fred, the son of George who was a senior Hong Kong policeman in the late 19th century.

The Star, in silver for life-saving on land and bronze at sea, has not been awarded since Lee Wing-kee received a silver one in 1984.

Although records of the awards since 1945 seem to be complete, very little material is available prior to that. Presumably all records kept by the Registrar General, the trustee of the Belilios Fund, were destroyed during the Second World War.

I should be grateful for any information that readers may have on the Star, its design changes and past awards for the period 1884 - 1945.

Edit History

2026-05-13 13:37:20 · NVIDIA / meta/llama-4-maverick-17b-128e-instruct
Live
View comparison
AI Proofread
# 201 THE HISTORY OF THE BELILIOS STAR: HONG KONG'S OWN LIFE-SAVING MEDAL DAVID MAHONEY Having acquired a named silver Belilios Star at a recent London auction, I have been persuaded to write a piece on this rare medal, which is Hong Kong's own life-saving award. This particular Star, hallmarked 1884 - the year of its institution - is named to F. Horspool, who is thought to be Fred, the son of George who was a senior Hong Kong policeman in the late 19th century. The Star, in silver for life-saving on land and bronze at sea, has not been awarded since Lee Wing-kee received a silver one in 1984. Although records of the awards since 1945 seem to be complete, very little material is available prior to that. Presumably all records kept by the Registrar General, the trustee of the Belilios Fund, were destroyed during the Second World War. I should be grateful for any information that readers may have on the Star, its design changes and past awards for the period 1884 - 1945.
Baseline (Original)
201 THE HISTORY OF THE BELILIOS STAR: HONG KONG'S OWN LIFE-SAVING MEDAL DAVID MAHONEY Having acquired a named silver Belilios Star at a recent London auction. I have been persuaded to write a piece on this rare medal, which is Hong Kong's own life-saving award. This particular Star, hallmarked 1884 - the year of its institution - is named to F. Horspool, who is thought to be Fred, the son of George who was a senior Hong Kong policeman in the late 19th century. The Star, in silver for life-saving on land and bronze at sea, has not been awarded since Lee Wing-kee received a silver one in 1984. Although records of the awards since 1945 seem to be complete, very little material is available prior to that. Presumably all records kept by the Registrar General, the trustee of the Belilios Fund, were destroyed during the Second World War. I should be grateful for any information that readers may have on the Star, its design changes and past awards for the period 1884 - 1945.
2026-05-13 13:37:20 · Baseline
View content

201

THE HISTORY OF THE BELILIOS STAR: HONG KONG'S OWN LIFE-SAVING MEDAL

DAVID MAHONEY

Having acquired a named silver Belilios Star at a recent London auction. I have been persuaded to write a piece on this rare medal, which is Hong Kong's own life-saving award.

This particular Star, hallmarked 1884 - the year of its institution - is named to F. Horspool, who is thought to be Fred, the son of George who was a senior Hong Kong policeman in the late 19th century.

The Star, in silver for life-saving on land and bronze at sea, has not been awarded since Lee Wing-kee received a silver one in 1984.

Although records of the awards since 1945 seem to be complete, very little material is available prior to that. Presumably all records kept by the Registrar General, the trustee of the Belilios Fund, were destroyed during the Second World War.

I should be grateful for any information that readers may have on the Star, its design changes and past awards for the period 1884 - 1945.

Comments

Approved members can add comments, bookmarks, and private notes.

No comments yet.

Private Research Note

Private notes are available after approval.