15929705970001312637261000Standard Recordobject-141484170534538839017053297370001705345372039fitz-onlineadlib-object-141484https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/1414841aa3940e-629d-318d-908c-8a6b896d9fa77referenceterm-42993adlib-term-4299393884c6f-c60c-39f7-a75d-f84d65288fe0medalreferenceterm-122711adlib-term-1227111db96904-a474-3b61-a8e5-6c2d9dd557abLester Watson CollectionCoins and MedalsJust as in 1848 the extensive land campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars and the other conflicts of the pre-Victorian era were recognised by the issue of the Miltary General Service Medal, those serving in the Navy at the time were recognised with the Naval General Service Medal. As with the Army equivalent and the East India Company's related award, many of the battles for which the medal was awarded had been fought so long ago that few if any claimants survived.
In addition, bars were awarded for many actions whose significance and size were, despite the heroism displayed by those involved, relatively minor. The result was that many of the bars were issued in tiny numbers, with some combinations all but unique, and the medals command a very high price among collectors because of this rarity and individuality. This in turn, along with the manufacture in most cases of more bars than were eventually issued, has led to the `improvement' of many common awards where recipients' names are shared with those present at `rarer' battles. The medal also shares with the Military General Service and Army of India Medals the oddity that Queen Victoria, whose portrait they bear, was not the ruler under whom the battles for which it was awarded were fought.
Some of the smallest actions for which the NGSM was awarded were fought not from ships, but from ships' boats, combats which could on occasions be no less dangerous or destructive than ship-to-ship battles. Thus, on 1 November 1809, boats from 8 British warships were sent against a French convoy of five warships and seven merchant vessels in Rosas Bay, off the north-east coast of Spain, and achieved the destruction or capture of eleven of its number. This action earnt the first bar that this medal carries; the second was awarded for an assault by the Royal Marines on the French harbour of Morgiou, near Toulon, where they destroyed a battery while another party took over some laden merchant ships and sailed them out of the now-undefended harbour.
The medal was awarded to one of these Marines, Simon Davies. He fought in the first action from a boat of HMS Cumberland, and in the latter from one of HMS Voluntaire. His presence aboard the vessels at these times is verified, and the Medals Roll confirms the award of the piece to him, although it gives his name as `Davis'. Lester Watson purchased the medal from the London dealers Spink in 1926.CM.1390-20091accession numberCM.1390-2009141484priref141484Watson Catalogue298orderingM-0273previous object numberLW.0273urihttps://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141484https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141484Bust of Victoria facing leftobverseVICTORIA REGINAdesignBritannia with trident seated sideways on seahorsereversedesignreferenceagent-149638adlib-agent-1496387376d833-d0a7-3be0-916e-9c892b7a24d8The Fitzwilliam MuseumGiven by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009referenceagent-206432adlib-agent-206432e0b1da8e-f9e4-30be-9257-f82c89d45afbWatson, Lester200920092009givenon loan to the Fitzwilliam Museum 2005-2009184918491849184918511185118511851mintreferenceagent-149658adlib-agent-1496584cb81521-c6ef-3826-8224-de2a104139c5Londonrulerreferenceagent-151398adlib-agent-151398bb2cd0a1-0a27-3787-a684-475d3b199972Victoria (1837-1901)artistreferenceagent-174941adlib-agent-1749418ba653dd-3bef-332c-a3cb-822cc499c1fdWyon, Williamwith the title ofrulerreferenceagent-174943adlib-agent-1749439c2be08c-ce74-3f9c-b796-3c936a5088e0Victoria reginareferenceterm-106216adlib-term-106216825b8379-ec94-388e-9a59-624e40c090d0Londonreferenceterm-39778adlib-term-397788bd60ed6-968d-3faf-8ad5-b4e4ee9bb245silverDiametermm36.2Weightg36.06referencemedia-116519adlib-media-11651932602faf-70ba-37e2-be2b-e3dcb2b48a77jpegcm/cm15/LW_0273_281_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels12416162478856541imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0273_281_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels12416162478856541imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0273_281_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels12416162478856541imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0273_281_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels12416162478856541image0media
imagereferencemedia-116520adlib-media-116520a4649ab7-9112-30e1-bb7a-9513689c428ajpegcm/cm15/LW_0273_282_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels12716162703382881imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0273_282_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels12716162703382881imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0273_282_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels12716162703382881imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0273_282_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels12716162703382881image1media
imagereferenceterm-122970adlib-term-122970b450fa98-60c7-34b2-a640-44f09f296561Naval General Service Medal (1793-1840)denominationreferenceterm-98222adlib-term-98222b5ccc43a-7491-344e-b6ca-5df39a11c50emedalsseriesreferenceterm-108659adlib-term-108659cc732dec-4543-389e-a737-cf22bb7d2ee2Militarysubseriesreferenceterm-107681adlib-term-107681e80da827-45c6-3b71-a3ef-28794a05e4a8Britainsubsubseriesreferenceterm-122712adlib-term-122712639b4532-b2cf-3f44-a24b-84974795c1a6Royal Navysubsubsubserieshistory noteGift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection, bt Spink 1926referenceagent-149638adlib-agent-1496387376d833-d0a7-3be0-916e-9c892b7a24d8The Fitzwilliam Museum45-48, 126, 132referencepublication-5886adlib-publication-5886a6056c29-399c-38dd-9710-5b3f2d44b8a6British Battles and Medals 7th ednreferencepublication-5910adlib-publication-59100d1d8526-5493-32bd-93b4-acd4cdcec7f9British and other Campaign and Gallantry Medals From the Collection of Lester Watson (d. 1959)referenceterm-122970adlib-term-122970b450fa98-60c7-34b2-a640-44f09f296561Naval General Service Medal (1793-1840)Naval General Service Medal (1793-1840)referenceterm-119622adlib-term-119622dd6626e9-5822-307d-aa31-13c8813e7555struckobject
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