War Medals and Their HistorySteward, William Augustus
History
War Medals and Their History
Steward, William Augustus
Great Britain. Army -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.; Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.
As far as can be ascertained, no medals for land service were issued
during the reigns of William and Mary, 1689-94, and William III
1694-1702.
=Queen Anne.=--For the brilliant attack on Vigo, October 12th, 1702,
Queen Anne caused medals to be struck for distribution among the
officers of the fleet who had taken part in the victory. Vice-Admiral
Hopson was made a knight, and granted a pension for his particular
service. The medal bears on the obverse the bust of the Queen, as on
the medal described hereafter, and on the reverse a representation of
the engagement, with the date.
=Lampriere Gold Medal.=--Captain James Lampriere was, in 1703, awarded
a gold medal, and probably a chain also, as there is a ring for
suspension, as
"Her Majᵗⁱᵉˢ reward to Capᵗ. James Lampriere for his Zeal to her
Service, and his Successful Conducting yᵉ Squadron commanded by
Rear Admiral Dilkes, who destroyed a considerable number of yᵉ
Enemy's Merchant Ships under convey of 3 Men of War on their own
coast."
This inscription is engraved in writing characters upon the reverse of
the gold medal, with the Arms of Lampriere below, with the motto
TRUE · TO · MY · TRUST · on a ribbon. On the obverse is the bust of
Queen Anne, facing left, wearing the Royal Crown with a row of pearls
in her hair, and round her neck the Collar and Star of the order of the
Garter, surrounded by the legend ANNA · DEI · GRATIA · MAG : BRITAN :
FRA : ET · HIB : REGINA.
=Granville, 1703.=--It is said that gold medals were presented to
Rear-Admiral Dilkes and his officers for their success near Granville
in Normandy in July 1703; but there is no official record of their
being granted. But to Captain Thomas Legge, who distinguished himself
under Rear-Admiral Dilkes in the same year a gold medal was specially
struck to commemorate his gallantry, and Campbell states in his "Naval
History" that "The Queen ... ordered gold medals to be struck on this
occasion and delivered to the Rear-Admiral and all his officers," and
Lampriere was one of the officers.
=Capture of Gibraltar.=--Medals were struck in this reign to celebrate
the capture of Gibraltar by Sir G. Rooke in 1704; but they were not, as
far as I can ascertain, issued as decorations.
A few medals were struck and given to pilots and fishermen; five to the
crew of the "Leonora" in consideration of their courage and resolution
in driving the Frenchmen (13 who had been placed as a prize crew on
the captured ship to pilot her to France) then aboard her "off the
Quarter-deck, and bringing the said shipp into England."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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