A scarce Naval General Service medal and clasp - Horatio 10 Feby 1809
£13,750
Auction: 5 June 2019 at 11:00 BST
Description
to Boy G. R. T. Disney is confirmed in the rolls as a boy aboard HMS Horatio; together with a rosewood framed silhouette of Disney in his uniform, holding his hat, with a landscape beyond and a book by Lt Wharton, A Short History of HMS Victory, pub. 1872
Footnote
By Family descent
HMS Horatio was a Royal Navy 38-gun fifth-rate Lively-class frigate, built out of fir timbers at the yard of George Parsons in Bursledon.
Capture of the Junon
Action of 10 February 1809
On the morning of 10 February 1809, Horatio along with the sloop HMS Driver came upon the French frigate Junon pursuing a British brig-of-war (the HMS Superieure) about 115 miles north of Anguilla. Under command of George Scott, the Horatio engaged in battle the 44-gun Junon, commanded by Augustin Rousseau. The French frigate aimed above the Horatio's decks, destroying its masts and rigging and causing many injuries, including Captain Scott and to his first lieutenant, Manley Hall Dixon. Lieutenant George Douglas took over command for the rest of the battle, where the damaged La Junon attempted to flee.
At this point the brig Superieure and frigate Latona arrived in the area and joined the battle. After a short exchange of fire with the Latona, the Junon surrendered. In the engagement seven sailors on the Horatio were killed and 26 wounded (17 of them seriously). On the Latona there were six minor injuries. Thomas Colville, a seaman on the Driver, was also badly injured. Scott described the British loss as "by no means Considerable" in relation to the "dreadful loss of the Enemy" suffered by the 323-man crew of the Junon. He counted 130 French sailors killed and wounded, including Rousseau, who died shortly afterwards.
The heroism of the crew of the Horatio was recognized in 1847 when the Navy issued a clasp to the Naval General Service Medal inscribed "Horatio 10 Feby. 1809". 13 surviving crew members from Horatio received this clasp.