Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Copenhagen 1801 (John Lester.) good very fine £3000-3600

Provenance: Sotheby, March 1966.

John Lester is confirmed as a Private Royal Marines aboard H.M.S. Ardent at Copenhagen, during which action he was severely wounded and later had his thigh amputated.

John Lester is first traced in the musters for H.M.S. Leyden in January 1801, where it is recorded that he was part of a group ‘From Great Nore 26 January 1801, from Head Quarters to be disposed of as Admiral Dickson may order’. He was immediately transferred to H.M.S. Ardent, where he is not included with the main list of marines in the body of the muster, but in a separate section headed ‘Supernumerary List for Victuals only’. At the battle of Copenhagen, 2 April 1801, Ardent was heavily engaged and at the cease fire signal the ship’s log recorded that the ‘masts and rigging are much wounded’ and that they had ‘30 men killed, 3 officers and 65 men wounded.’

Lester was amongst the severely wounded and was discharged sick on 13 April to the hospital ship Holstein. From there he was transferred on 25 April to Yarmouth Hospital where his thigh was amputated. He is shown as discharged to H.M.S. Driver on 19 October 1801, but there is no entry for him in the musters, or in subsequent Yarmouth Hospital lists. It is remarkable that he survived another 46 years to enable him to claim the medal for Copenhagen. Sold with comprehensive research.