Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Amethyst 5 April 1809 (Jas. J. Lamb.) note second initial, nearly extremely fine and scarce £6,000-£8,000

Fergus Gowan Collection 1947-71; Sotheby, July 1980; Christie’s, March 1988.

Approximately 26 clasps issued for the capture by Amethyst of the 40-gun French frigate Niemen in the Bay of Biscay on 5 April 1809.

James Thomas Lamb entered the Navy on 22 December 1808, as First-Class Volunteer, on board the Amethyst, of 42 guns and 222 men, Captain Michael Seymour, shortly after that officer’s Gold Medal winning exploits at the capture of the 40-gun French frigate Thetis on the 10th of the previous month. On 6 April, 1809, Lamb took part in a severe intermittent action of about four hours, which terminated in the capture, with a loss to the Amethyst of 8 men killed and 37 wounded, of the French frigate Le Niemen of 46 guns and 339 men, of whom 47 were slain and 73 wounded. After attending the expedition to Flushing, he accompanied Captain Seymour into his prize, which had been added to the Navy as a 38-gun frigate. He continued with him in that ship, on the Channel and Irish stations, until the spring of 1812, when he again followed him, as Midshipman, into the Hannibal 74. In March 1814, being then on a cruize off Cherbourg, Mr. Lamb was present at the capture of the 40-gun frigate Sultane. We then find him proceeding to the West Indies, where, in the course of the same year, he successively joined the Bedford and Venerable 74’s, Captains James Walker and George Pringle - the latter bearing the flag of Sir Philip Charles Durham, by whom he was at first sent on a cruize in the Adams tender, and then nominated Acting Sub-Lieutenant of the Grecian schooner. He was made Lieutenant, 1 March 1815, into the Fairy 18, Captain Henry Loraine Baker, part of the force present at the ensuing surrender of Guadeloupe, with the despatches relative to which she returned to England; and he was next, from 29 of the following September until superseded at his own request 27 March 1817, employed on the Irish station in the Helicon and Martin sloops, both commanded by Captain Andrew Mitchell. His last appointment was, 29 August 1833, to the Coast Guard, in which service he remained until the early part of 1836. We understand that on one occasion, while in command of a merchant-ship, Lieutenant Lamb performed service which was acknowledged by a reward from Lloyd’s. He retired on a pension of 8s. 6d. a day, with the rank of Commander on 29 December 1862.