Naval General Service Medal | Martinique 

Flagship HMS Neptune Interest

Naval General Service Medal for sale with clasp for 'Martinique'. The NGS medal awarded to Royal Marine John Rogers, aboard Admiral Chochrane's flagship, HMS Neptune. A medal worthy of further research.

Rogers was involved in the action at Martinique, for which he later received the medal with clasp. Rogers medal is complete with its original Victorian silk ribbon, along with typical Royal Navy style silver buckle suspender. The medal still retained within its original fine Victorian fitted leather case.

Condition report: The Naval General Service Medal is offered for sale in excellent towrds near mint condition, all detail remaining, and free from any major dents or other damage. Clean appearance. Period silk ribbon. The medal complete with a fine silver naval style brooch mounting. Naming clear and sharp. Untouched, uncleaned, and with a beautiful overall aged appearance.

Provenance: The John Rogers medal is recorded as sold through Spinks in 1987.

Background to the inavsion of Martinique: The invasion of Martinique was a successful British amphibious operation against the French colony of Martinique that took place between 30 January and 24 February 1809 during the West Indies campaign of 1804–1810 of the Napoleonic Wars. Martinique, like the nearby island of Guadeloupe, was a major threat to Britain's trade in the West Indies, providing a sheltered base from which privateers and French Navy warships could raid British merchant shipping and disrupt the trade routes that maintained the economy of the United Kingdom. Both islands also provided a focus for larger-scale French operations in the region and in the autumn of 1808, following the Spanish alliance with Britain, the Admiralty decided to order a British squadron to neutralise the threat, beginning with Martinique.

The British mustered a large expeditionary force under Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane and Lieutenant-General George Beckwith, commanding 29 ships and 10,000 men – almost four times the number of French regular troops garrisoning Martinique. Landing in force on both the southern and northern coasts of the island, British troops pushed inland, defeating French regulars in the central highlands and routing colonial militia units in the south of the island. By 9 February, the entire island was in British hands except Fort Desaix, a powerful fortification intended to protect the island capital of Fort-de-France, which had been bypassed during the British advance. In a siege lasting 15 days, the Fort was constantly bombarded, with the French garrison suffering 200 casualties before finally surrendering.

The capture of the island was a significant blow to France's power in the region, eliminating an important naval base from their control and denying safe harbours to French shipping in the West Indies. The consequences of losing Martinique were so severe that the French Navy dispatched a naval squadron to reinforce the garrison during the invasion. Arriving much too late to affect the outcome, these reinforcements were intercepted off the islands and scattered during the action of 14–17 April 1809; half the force failed to return to France. With Martinique occupied, British attention in the region turned to Guadeloupe, which was captured the following year.