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Subject = "South Queensferry"
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Membership disc and Forth Bridge medallion
Unknown, 1883, Metal
Item
of 87
Membership disc and Forth Bridge medallion
Membership disc and Forth Bridge medallion
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Location
Category
Museums & Galleries Item
Item no
34212
Title
Membership disc and Forth Bridge medallion
Description
One membership disc for the Forth Bridge Working Men's Club, and a Forth Bridge medallion. The gold coloured disc is a membership disc of the Forth Bridge Working Men's Club and has the inscription 'Working Men's Club' around the monogram 'FB' (Forth Bridge). The silver medallion was struck in 1890 to commemorate the opening of the bridge, and has the text 'The Forth Rail Bridge opened by HRH Prince of Wales March 4th 1890' and a list of various dimensions of the bridge.
Artist / maker
Unknown
Date
1883
Type
Metal
Location
Queensferry Museum
Accession number
HH915/93
A small token like this was given to all the members of the Forth Bridge Working Men's Club, stamped with the date of the start of the construction works, 1883, and the holder's membership number. The Forth Bridge Working Men's Club was not a social club, but more an insurance agency against sickness and accident. The Club dispensed medical advice, medicines, and gave a good allowance of between 9s and 12s a week to those not fit for work. This soon proved itself a necessary fund, as more than 60 men lost their lives whilst working on the bridge. A memorial to those who died has been erected in South Queensferry.
The Forth Rail Bridge was constructed between 1883 and 1890 and was designed by Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker. Construction began only a few years after the Tay Rail Bridge disaster in which over 70 people were killed. In order to allay the fears of the public in the wake of this catastrophe the structure of this cantilever bridge was designed to be both visually impressive and enormously strong. The bridge stretches 1.5 miles across the Firth of Forth between South and North Queensferry and its three towers are over 100m high. The bridge was opened on the 4th of March 1890 by the then Prince of Wales, later Edward VII.
Exhibitions with this item
Forth Rail Bridge
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South Queensferry
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Forth Rail Bridge
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Edinburgh
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