IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 141275 accession number: CM.1181-2009 DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Saturday 6 August 2011 updated: Monday 15 January 2024 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: One of then-General Napoleon Bonaparte's earlier plans against the British Empire during the French Revolutionary Wars was to threaten India by the capture of Egypt, and to attempt to open a canal between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. A French expedition arrived in the country in 1798, and British forces were sent in pursuit under Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson. The fleets met in Aboukir Bay on the night of 1 August 1798, and Nelson was able to approach from windward so that French ships to the lee could not sail up to support their fellows. As a result Nelson was able to demolish the French line ship by ship, and the French fleet was almost entirely sunk or captured with only 218 casualties on the British side. The victory secured Nelson's reputation, but also led to Bonaparte's return to France to stage the coup that made him First Consul. Nelson's victory was greatly celebrated in Britain, and although no official medal was issued for the action until 1849 (by which time very few potential claimants were still alive), Nelson's prize agent for the campaign, Alexander Davison, had this medal made in Birmingham at his own expense for distribution to the officers and men present at the battle. Captains and above received gold, other officers silver, but this example in bronze would have been awarded to a rating. It remains unnamed as issued and so the recipient is unknown. Lester Watson acquired the medal at some point before 1928. title: Davison's Nile Medal NOTES ----- type: history note value: Gift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection, acquired before 1928 LICENSING --------- text license status: CC0 image license status: CC-BY-NC-SA OWNERSHIP --------- instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum department: Coins and Medals collection: Lester Watson Collection creditline: Given by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009 STABLE URL ---------- url: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141275 TECHNIQUES ---------- struck CATEGORIES ------ category: medal DATING ------ creation date: 1798 - 1798 creation date earliest: 1798 creation date latest: 1798 CREATORS -------- maker: Birmingham maker: Davison, Alexander maker: Küchler, Conrad Heinrich DIMENSIONS ---------- dimension: Diameter units: mm value: 47.1 dimension: Weight units: g value: 39.86 CITATIONS -------- British Battles and Medals 7th edn British and other Campaign and Gallantry Medals From the Collection of Lester Watson (d. 1959) --- IMAGES surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0064_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 352 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0064_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 352 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0064_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 352 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/preview_LW_0064_281_29.jpg height: 259 pixels width: 250 pixels surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0064_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 353 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0064_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 353 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0064_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 353 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/preview_LW_0064_282_29.jpg height: 258 pixels width: 250 pixels