15929705970001312637261000Standard Recordobject-141456170534539996817053297310001705345377768fitz-onlineadlib-object-141456https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/1414562477e7c1-da06-3ad5-a299-a7a5b23f2ed47referenceterm-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 Military 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.
In the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Trafalgar the French and Spanish ships that were not captured in the action escaped in small groups; some returned to Cadiz under the command of the mortally wounded Spanish Amiral Gravina, but a division of four French vessels under Arrière-Admiral Pierre le Pelley put out into the Atlantic instead. Two weeks later they were caught off Cadiz, in Ortegal Bay, by a British squadron of four battleships and four frigates under Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Strachan. In the resulting Battle of Cape Ortegal all four French ships were captured.
This medal was awarded to Lieutenant John Reynolds of the 48-gun frigate HMS Santa Margarita; his service in the battle has been verified. Lester Watson purchased the medal at some point before 1928.CM.1362-20091accession numberCM.1362-2009141456priref141456Watson Catalogue269orderingM-0245previous object numberLW.0245urihttps://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141456https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141456Bust 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-b4e4ee9bb245silverDiametermm36.2Weightg36.61referencemedia-116463adlib-media-116463f3168925-4896-3d63-a45e-2f24c7586decjpegcm/cm15/LW_0245_281_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels12116162854539581imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0245_281_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels12116162854539581imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0245_281_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels12116162854539581imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0245_281_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels12116162854539581image0media
imagereferencemedia-116464adlib-media-1164648241b99e-47a7-3c82-a0ea-bf1bc37035b2jpegcm/cm15/LW_0245_282_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels11616162635451801imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0245_282_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels11616162635451801imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0245_282_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels11616162635451801imagejpegcm/cm15/LW_0245_282_29.jpg1heightpixels365widthpixels11616162635451801image1media
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 before 1928referenceagent-149638adlib-agent-1496387376d833-d0a7-3be0-916e-9c892b7a24d8The Fitzwilliam Museum45-48, 79referencepublication-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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