The Naval General Service Medal (NGSM) was a campaign medal approved in 1847, and issued to officers and men of the Royal Navy in 1849. The final date for submitting claims was 1 May 1851.[1] Admiral Thomas Bladen Capel was one of the members of the board that authorised the medal.
| Naval General Service Medal | |
|---|---|
  Obverse and reverse of the medal. | |
| Type | Campaign medal |
| Awarded for | Campaign service |
| Description | Silver disk, 36mm diameter |
| Presented by | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Eligibility | Royal Navy |
| Campaign(s) | Naval Actions 1793–1840 |
| Clasps | 231 authorised, 221 issued |
| Established | 1847 |
| Total | 20,933 |
 | |
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The NGSM was awarded retrospectively for various naval actions during the period 1793–1840, a period that included the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars and the Anglo-American War of 1812. Each battle or campaign covered by the medal was represented by a clasp on the ribbon. The medal was never issued without a clasp, 231 of which were sanctioned.[2] The clasps covered a variety of actions, from boat service, ship to ship skirmishes, to major fleet actions such as the Battle of Trafalgar.
This medal and its army counterpart, the Military General Service Medal, were amongst the first real British campaign medals, issued to all ranks for serving in combat actions.[3]
Eligibility edit
The medal was only awarded to surviving claimants. A combination of factors, from general illiteracy to limited publicity for the new medal meant that many did not apply for it. While next of kin could not apply on behalf of a deceased relative, they did receive the medal in cases where the claimant had died between their application and actual award.[1]
The belated nature of the award meant that, for many clasps, substantially fewer medals were issued when compared with the numbers present. Frequently the number of claimants for individual clasps was reckoned in single figures and for ten clasps there were no claimants.[2]
Sir John Hindmarsh and Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Gordon were awarded medals with seven clasps, the most awarded to any individual. Four men qualified for six clasps and fourteen for five clasps.[4]
A baby born on board HMS Tremendous during the battle of the Glorious First of June, christened Daniel Tremendous McKenzie, applied for and received the medal with the '1 June 1794' clasp.[5] Jane Townshend, a woman aboard HMS Defiance at the Battle of Trafalgar, had her application for the medal initially approved. The medal was not finally awarded however, with the roll of recipients endorsed "upon further consideration this can not be allowed". An award may have set a precedent for claims by other women, mainly wives of sailors present during naval actions.[6]
A total of 126 awards were made to officers and men of the British Army, present on board HM's ships at qualifying actions. This included 26 with the 'Copenhagen 1801' clasp and 50 with the 'Syria' clasp. Of these recipients, 8 officers and 18 men also received the Military General Service Medal.[7]
The Admiralty awarded 20,933 medals in total.[4][8] Of these, 15,577 went to individuals who received only one clasp.[2][8]
Appearance edit
The medal, designed by William Wyon, is of silver and 1.4 inches (36 mm) in diameter.[2]
- Obverse: a left facing effigy of Queen Victoria with the inscription "VICTORIA REGINA" and the date “1848”.
- Reverse: The figure of Britannia, holding a trident, seated on a seahorse.
- Naming: The name of the recipient is impressed on the rim in block Roman capitals. Medals to officers and warrant officers also include the recipient's rank.[2]
- Ribbon: The 1.25 inches (32 mm) wide ribbon is white, with dark blue edges,[2] based on the ribbon previously used for the Naval Gold Medal.[9]
Clasps edit
A total of 231 clasps were authorised, including 176 for specific actions and 55 for Boat Service, that is service in ships' boats when boarding enemy ships or as part of a shore raiding party.[2]
French Revolutionary Wars edit
| Clasp | Battle or action | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nymphe 18 June 1793 | Capture of French frigate Cleopatre | 18 June 1793 | Britain vs. France |
| Crescent 20 Octr. 1793 | Capture of French frigate Reunion | 20 October 1793 | Britain vs. France |
| Zebra 17 March 1794 | Capture of Fort Saint Louis (Martinique) | 20 March 1794 | Britain vs. France |
| 17 Mar. Boat Service 1794 | Capture of the French frigate Bienvenue and other vessels in Fort Royal Bay (Martinique) | 20 March 1794 | Britain vs. France |
| Carysfort 29 May 1794 | Recapture of HMS Castor | 29 May 1794 | Unissued Britain vs France |
| 1 June 1794 | Glorious First of June | 1 June 1794 | Britain vs France |
| Romney 17 June 1794 | Capture of French frigate Sibylle | 17 June 1794 | Britain vs France |
| Blanche 4 Jany. 1795 | Capture of French frigate Pique | 5 January 1795 | Britain vs France |
| Lively 13 March 1795 | Capture of French frigate Tourterelle | 13 March 1795 | Britain vs France |
| 14 March 1795 | Naval Battle of Genoa (1795) | 14 March 1795 | Britain & Naples vs France |
| Mosquito 9 June 1795 | Capture of privateer | 9 June 1795 | Unissued (vessel and crew lost soon after) |
| 16–17 June 1795 | Cornwallis's Retreat | 17 June 1795 | Britain vs France |
| 23 June 1795 | Battle of Groix | 23 June 1795 | Britain vs France |
| Dryad 13 June 1796 | Capture of Proserpine | 13 June 1796 | Britain vs France |
| St. Vincent | Battle of Cape St Vincent (1797) | 14 February 1797 | Britain vs Spain |
| San Fiorenzo 8 March 1797 | Capture of Résistance | 9 March 1797 | Britain vs France |
| 29 May Boat Service 1797 | Boats of Minerve and Lively capture French corvette Mutine | 29 May 1797 | Britain vs France |
| Camperdown | Battle of Camperdown | 11 October 1797 | Britain vs Holland |
| Nile | Battle of the Nile | 1–3 August 1798 | Britain vs France |
| 12 Octr. 1798 | Battle of Tory Island | 12 October 1798 | Britain vs France |
| Telegraph 18 March 1799 | Capture of French privateer Hirondelle | 18 March 1799 | Unissued Britain vs France |
| Arrow 13 Sepr. 1799 | Capture of Draak and Gier | 13 September 1799 | Britain vs Batavian Republic |
| Wolverine 13 Sepr. 1799 | Capture of Draak and Gier | 13 September 1799 | Unissued Britain vs Batavian Republic |
| Courier 23 Novr. 1799 | Capture of French privateer Guerrier | 23 November 1799 | Britain vs. France |
| Egypt | Battle of Abukir (1801), Battle of Alexandria (1801), Siege of Alexandria (1801) | March – September 1801 | Britain vs France |
| Copenhagen | Battle of Copenhagen (1801) | 2 April 1801 | Britain vs Denmark-Norway |
| Gut of Gibraltar 12 July 1801 | Battle of Algeciras Bay | 12 July 1801 | Britain vs France & Spain |
Napoleonic Wars edit
| Clasp | Battle or action | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver 31 March 1804 | Boats of Scorpion and Beaver captured the Dutch brig Atalante | 31 March 1804 | Unissued Britain vs Batavian Republic |
| Scorpion 31 March 1804 | Boats of Scorpion and Beaver captured the Dutch brig Atalante | 31 March 1804 | Britain vs Batavian Republic |
| San Fiorenzo 14 Feby. 1805 | Capture of Psyché | 14 February 1805 | Britain vs France |
| Trafalgar | Battle of Trafalgar | 21 October 1805 | Britain vs France & Spain |
| 4 Novr. 1805 | Battle of Cape Ortegal | 4 November 1805 | Britain vs France |
| St. Domingo | Battle of San Domingo | 6 February 1806 | Britain vs France |
| Blanche 18 July 1806 | Capture of French frigate Guerriere | 18 July 1806 | Britain vs France |
| 21 Jan. Boat Service 1807 | Boats of Galatea vs Lynx | 21 January 1807 | Britain vs France |
| 19 April Boat Service 1807 | Boats of Richmond capture a privateer | 19 April 1807 | Unissued Britain vs. France |
| Ann 24 Novr. 1807 | Capture of Spanish lugger privateer and action with ten gunboats and surrender of two | 24 November 1807 | Unissued Britain vs Spain |
| Sappho 2 March 1808 | Capture of brig Admiral Yawl | 2 March 1808 | Britain vs Denmark-Norway |
| San Fiorenzo 8 March 1808 | Capture of Piémontaise | 8 March 1808 | Britain vs France |
| 28 Nov. Boat Service 1808 | Boats of Heureux attack a battery and capture a brig and a schooner | 29 November 1808 | Britain vs France |
| Onyx 1 Jany. 1809 | Recapture of Manly | 1 January 1809 | Britain vs the Batavian Republic |
| Martinique | Invasion of Martinique (1809) | 30 January – 24 February 1809 | Britain vs France |
| Basque Roads 1809 | Battle of the Basque Roads | 11–25 April 1809 | Britain vs France |
| 25 July Boat Service 1809 | Boats of Fawn in action with a cutter and the schooner Guadaloupe, which they captured | 25 July 1809 | Unissued Britain vs France |
| 25 July Boat Service 1809 | Boats of Cerberus, Minotaur, Princess Caroline, and Prometheus capture Russian gunboats near Fredrikshamn, Gulf of Finland | 25 July 1809 | Britain vs Russia |
| Guadaloupe | Invasion of Guadeloupe (1810) | 28 January – 6 February 1810 | Britain vs France |
| Thistle 10 Feby. 1810 | Capture of Havik | 10 February 1810 | Unissued Britain vs The Netherlands |
| Boat engagement, Christian 7th | Boats from HMS Christian VII, under Sir Joseph Sydney Yorke, HMS Armide and HMS Seine, attack 9 French gun-boats in the Basque Roads, capturing 1. | 13 February 1810 | Britain vs France |
| Arrow 6 April 1811 | Action with chasse-marees and batteries off the French coast | 6 April 1811 | Unissued Britain vs France |
| Java | Invasion of Java (1811) | August – September 1811 | Britain vs The Netherlands |
| Lissa | Battle of Lissa (1811) | 13 March 1811 | Britain vs France and Venice |
| Anholt 27 March 1811 | Battle of Anholt | 27 March 1811 | Britain vs Denmark-Norway |
| Off Mardoe 6 July 1812 | Battle of Lyngør | 6 July 1812 | Britain vs Denmark-Norway |
| 21 March Boat Service 1813 | Boats of Brev Drageren and Blazer capture gunboats Jonge-Troutman and Liebe | 21 March 1813 | Britain vs Denmark |
| St Sebastian | Siege of San Sebastián | August – September 1813 | Britain & Portugal vs France |
| Cyane 16 Jany. 1814 | Capture of Alcmène & Iphigénie | 16 January 1814 | Britain vs France |
War of 1812 edit
| Clasp | Battle or action | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| April & May Boat Service 1813 | Boats of Marlborough, Maidstone, Dragon, Statira, Dolphin, Fantome, Mohawk, Highflyer, and Racer destroyed cannon foundry at French Town and batteries at Havre-de-Grace | 28 April and 5 May | |
| 8 April Boat Service 1814 | Boats of La Hogue, Endymion, Maidstone, and Boxer destroyed 27 American vessels and a quantity of stores up the Connecticut River | 8 April 1814 | |
| Shannon Wh. Chesapeake | Shannon vs Chesapeake | 1 June 1813 | |
| Pelican 14 Augt. 1813 | Capture of USS Argus | 14 August 1813 | |
| Phoebe 28 March 1814 | Capture of USS Essex and Essex Junior (Ex-Atlantic) | 28 March 1814 | |
| Cherub 28 March 1814 | Capture of USS Essex and Essex Junior (Ex-Atlantic) | 28 March 1814 | |
| The Potomac 17 Augt. 1814 | Seahorse, Euryalus, Devastation, Aetna, Meteor, Erebus, Fairy, and Anna Maria at Alexandria (Virginia) and destruction of shipping in the Potomac River | 17 August 1814 | |
| 3 & 6 Sept. Boat Service 1814 | Boats on Lake Huron captured American schooners Tigress and Scorpion | 3 & 6 September 1814 | |
| 14 Dec. Boat Service 1814 | Battle of Lake Borgne; boats of 16 British warships captured five American gunboats and a sloop | 14 December 1814 | |
| Endymion Wh. President | Endymion vs President | 15 January 1815 |
Later battles or actions edit
| Clasp | Battle or action | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algiers | Bombardment of Algiers | 27 August 1816 | Britain & The Netherlands vs Dey of Algiers |
| Navarino | Battle of Navarino | 20 October 1827 | Britain, France & Russia vs Ottoman Empire |
| Syria | Syrian War | November 1840 | Britain, with Austria, the Ottoman Empire, and Russia vs Egypt This is the most common clasp, with 6,978 issued[10] |
Citations edit
- ^ a b British Battles and Medals, page 34.
- ^ a b c d e f g British Battles and Medals, page 33.
- ^ Dorling 1956, p. 12.
- ^ a b Mussell (2014), p. 128.
- ^ Joslin 1974, p. 76.
- ^ Dorling (1956), p. 57.
- ^ British Battles and Medals, pages 34-35.
- ^ a b Douglas-Morris (1982), p. L.
- ^ Dorling 1956, p. 53.
- ^ British Battles and Medals, page 57
References edit
- Dorling, H. Taprell (1956). Ribbons and Medals. London: A.H.Baldwin & Sons. OCLC 930416375.
- Douglas-Morris, Kenneth (1982). The Naval General Service Medal roll, 1793-1840. London: privately published by the author. ISBN 978-1-84-574434-2.
- Joslin, Edward C (1974). Observer's Book of British Awards and Medals. Frederick Warne & Co. ISBN 978-0-72-321538-7.
- Joslin, Litherland, and Simpkin (eds), British Battles and Medals, (1988), Spink ISBN 0907605257
- Mussell, John, ed. (2014). Medal Yearbook 2015. Honiton, Devon: Token Publishing Ltd (published 20 September 2014). p. 177. ISBN 978-1-908828-17-0.