IT seemed such a long-shot when a reader asked if anyone knew what had become of an Albert Medal (civilian version of the Victoria Cross) awarded 120 years ago to a 23-year-old Sutton schoolmistress. But we've had a positive result.

Hannah Rosbotham was the first woman to receive this Victorian gallantry award in risking her life to rescue infants after the stone belfry of Sutton National School caved in under the force of a severe gale and crashed through the roof. With stones, slates and timbers raining down she plucked four children from the debris and dug out a fifth child buried under the collapse. Her heroism restricted the death toll to just one child among 200 assembled in the infant department.

A distant relative, Les Rosbotham of Garswood, had revived this 1881 episode in asking (this page, August 1) if anyone knew what had become of that unique medal. And we now learn that it surfaced at auction in Liverpool as recently as two years ago.

This info came from a helpful Rainford reader who forwarded a copy of an auction notice issued by Outhwaite & Litherland listing not only the brave teacher's Albert Medal (presented in the name of Queen Victoria) but also a silver cased half-hunter ladies' watch presented to Hannah by a grateful public and the Sutton National School managers.

Sadly, I have no means of knowing who has possessed those priceless items over the past couple of years.

It seems that the Rosbotham clan were a remarkably courageous lot. For at that same Liverpool auction in November 2000, two gallantry awards won by a John J. Rosbotham also went under the hammer.

A cased Liverpool Shipwreck & Humane Society medal had been awarded to John in 1886 for rescuing a young man who had fallen through the ice at an St Helens reservoir. A quarter of a century later -in August 1911 - he rescued a drowning woman at Leasowe on the Wirral. For this, he received a 15ct. gold cross of 17grammes, inscribed 'Port Sunlight Order of Conspicuous Merit'.

Again, I have no knowledge that collector may now own those two awards, but I'd really like to know, and also to learn whether the two Rosbothams were closely related.

n IT might sound a tall order, but I'm quite prepared for long-shots after receiving that surprise response to the earlier query regarding Hannah's act of supreme gallantry.