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The Naval General Service Medal (NGSM) was a

campaign medal A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of an armed force who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater. Campaign medals are very similar to service medals but carry a hig ...

approved in 1847, and issued to officers and men of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

in 1849. The final date for submitting claims was 1 May 1851.British Battles and Medals, page 34. Admiral

Thomas Bladen Capel Admiral Sir Thomas Bladen Capel (25 August 1776 – 4 March 1853) was an officer in the British Royal Navy whose distinguished service in the French Revolutionary War, the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 earned him rapid promotion and great a ...

was one of the members of the board that authorised the medal. The NGSM was awarded retrospectively for various naval actions during the period 1793–1840, a period that included the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...

, the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

and the Anglo-American

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. Each battle or campaign 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.British Battles and Medals, page 33. The clasps covered a variety of actions, from boat service, ship to ship skirmishes, to major fleet actions such as the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

. This medal and its army counterpart, the

Military General Service Medal __NOTOC__ The Military General Service Medal (MGSM) was a campaign medal approved in 1847 and issued to officers and men of the British Army in 1848.Including officers and men of the King's German Legion, Brunswick Oels and Chasseurs Britanniques ...

, were amongst the first real British campaign medals, issued to all ranks for serving in combat actions.

Eligibility

The medal was only awarded to surviving claimants. A combination of factors, from general illiteracy to limited publicity for the new medal meant that many did not apply for it. While next of kin could not apply on behalf of a deceased relative, they did receive the medal in cases where the claimant had died between their application and actual award. The belated nature of the award meant that, for many clasps, substantially fewer medals were issued when compared with the numbers present. Frequently the number of claimants for individual clasps was reckoned in single figures and for ten clasps there were no claimants. Sir John Hindmarsh and Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Gordon were awarded medals with seven clasps, the most awarded to any individual. Four men qualified for six clasps and fourteen for five clasps. A baby born on board during the battle of the

Glorious First of June The Glorious First of June (1 June 1794), also known as the Fourth Battle of Ushant, (known in France as the or ) was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic ...

, christened Daniel Tremendous McKenzie, applied for and received the medal with the '1 June 1794' clasp. Jane Townshend, a woman aboard at the

, had her application for the medal initially approved. The medal was not finally awarded however, with the roll of recipients endorsed "upon further consideration this can not be allowed". An award may have set a precedent for claims by other women, mainly wives of sailors present during naval actions. A total of 126 awards were made to officers and men of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, present on board HM's ships at qualifying actions. This included 26 with the 'Copenhagen 1801' clasp and 50 with the 'Syria' clasp. Of these recipients, 8 officers and 18 men also received the

.British Battles and Medals, pages 34-35. The Admiralty awarded 20,933 medals in total. Of these, 15,577 went to individuals who received only one clasp.

Appearance

The medal, designed by

William Wyon William Wyon (Birmingham 1795 – 29 October 1851), was official chief engraver at the Royal Mint from 1828 until his death. Biography Wyon was born in Birmingham and, in 1809, was apprenticed to his father, Peter Wyon who was an engraver a ...

, is of silver and in diameter.
* Obverse: a left facing effigy of Queen Victoria with the inscription "VICTORIA REGINA" and the date “1848”. * Reverse: The figure of Britannia, holding a trident, seated on a seahorse. * Naming: The name of the recipient is impressed on the rim in block Roman capitals. Medals to officers and

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

s also include the recipient's rank. * Ribbon: The wide ribbon is white, with dark blue edges, based on the ribbon previously used for the

Naval Gold Medal The Naval Gold Medal was awarded between 1793 and 1815 to senior officers of the Royal Navy for specified actions. Two different sizes were struck. 22 large medals were awarded to flag officers (admirals), commodores and captains of the fleet ...

Clasps

A total of 231 clasps were authorised, including 176 for specific actions and 55 for Boat Service, that is service in ships' boats when boarding enemy ships or as part of a shore raiding party.

French Revolutionary Wars

Napoleonic Wars

War of 1812

Later battles or actions

Citations

References

* * * * Joslin, Litherland, and Simpkin (eds), ''British Battles and Medals'', (1988), Spink *

External links

Naval General Service Medal Roll (1793–1840)
*
Some muster rolls, for ships involved in fleet actions 1794–1811
held at

The National Archives National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...

, Kew {{British campaign medals British campaign medals British military medals of the Napoleonic Wars