Naval General Service Medal (1793-1840)

The Naval General Service Medal (NGSM) was a campaign medal approved in 1847, for issue to officers and men of the Royal Navy. A handful of awards were made to officers and men of the British Army, present on board HM's ships at qualifying actions. This included officers and men of the 29th Regiment of Foot who were aboard a number of ships on the 1st June 1794 acting as Marines on board the British Fleet.

The NGSM was retrospectively awarded for various naval actions during the period 1793–1840, a period including the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Anglo-American War of 1812. The clasps covered a variety of actions, from boat service to ship to ship skirmishes all the way to major fleet actions such as the Battle of Trafalgar.

Each battle or action 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.

The medal was only awarded to surviving claimants; one had both to have survived until 1847 and then to actively apply for it. A combination of factors, from general illiteracy to limited publicity for the new medal meant that very many did not. There are substantially fewer medals issued when compared with the number of men who served during this period; frequently the number of claimants for individual clasps was reckoned in single figures. Some 20,933 medals were awarded in total—most with a single clasp.

The final date for submitting claims for the medal was 1st May 1851.

Next of kin could not apply for a medal on behalf of a deceased relative. However, the medal was awarded to next of kin of those claimants who had died between the date of their application and the date of presentation

The 29th Regiment of Foot (later became the 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment) received a total of 8 medals, althouth many more men served on board the ships of the British Fleet during the 1st June 1794.

Five of the British ships—"Alfred," "Brunswick," "Glory," "Ramillies," and "Thunderer" — carried detachments of the 29th Regiment. The total strength of the five detachments of the 29th present in the battle was 12 officers and 406 other ranks

Surnames highlighted in RED indicate the medal is now held by the Worcestershire Regiment Museum Trust.

Naval General Service Medal 1793-1840

 

 

29th Regiment of Foot

Surname

Forename/s

Rank

Ship

Clasp

Bamford

Stephen R.

Private

Glory

1st June 1794

Cook

Robert

Corporal

Alfred

1st June 1794

Egerton

Chas. Bulkeley

Lieutenant

Thunderer

1st June 1794

Kilgrove

James

Private

Glory

1st June 1794

Northey

L. Augustus

Ensign

Alfred

1st June 1794

Robinson

William

Private

Thunderer

1st June 1794

Robson

Thomas

Private

Brunswick

1st June 1794

Smith

Thomas

Private

Alfred

1st June 1794

 


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