Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A fine 2-clasp Naval General Service medal awarded to Commander William Figg, Royal Navy, who was a First-Class Volunteer aboard Admiral Duncan’s flagship Venerable at the battle of Camperdown in October 1797 and fought as a Midshipman in the Bellona in the action off Copenhagen in April 1801, on which occasion he received a wound so severe that the use of his left arm was always afterwards impaired

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 2 clasps, Camperdown, Copenhagen 1801 (William Figg, Midshipman.) attractively toned, extremely fine £8,000-£10,000

Glendining’s, July 1937; Spink, July 2000.

William Figg was born on 27 August 1783, at Berwick-upon-Tweed, is eldest son of Captain James Figg, of the Royal Invalids, who served during the reigns of George II and George III, was wounded at the battle of Bunker’s Hill, and died one of the oldest officers in the army. His only brother, Edward, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Engineers, died in active service in Canada in 1829.

This officer entered the Navy on 8 August 1796, as First-class Volunteer, on board the Plover 18, Captain John Chesshyre, and, on removing to the Venerable 74, flagship of Lord Duncan, served in the battle off Camperdown, 11 October 1797. After a further attachment with the latter officer, as Midshipman, to the Kent 74, he joined the Bellona 74, Captain Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson, under whom he received, in the action off Copenhagen, 2 April 1801, a wound so severe as to have ever since impaired the use of his left arm.

From May 1801 until September 1805, we find him serving, on the Channel, Newfoundland, and Irish stations, latterly as Acting-Lieutenant, in the Brilliant 28, Captains Philip Wodehouse and Adam Mackenzie, Camilla 20, Captains Henry Hill and Bridges Watkinson Taylor, Courageux 74, flagship of Rear-Admiral Richard Dacres, and Brilliant again, Captain Robert Barrie. In January 1806, Mr. Figg became Acting-Sub-Lieutenant of the Furious gun-brig, Lieutenant-Commander John Debenham. Being advanced to the full rank of Lieutenant, 30 August 1806, he was subsequently appointed – 3 March 1807, to the Vulture 18, Captain Joseph Pearce, lying at Sheerness – 24 July 1807, as First Lieutenant, to the Snake 18, Captain Thomas Young, under whom he assisted at the capture of two batteries on the coast of Finmark in 1809 – 20 February 1810, to the Skylark 16, Captain James Boxer, on the Downs station – and, 22 April 1812, to the command of the Pickle schooner, of 12 guns, in which vessel, when off Scilly, he assisted the Albacore sloop and several small craft in beating off, 18 December 1812, the French 40-gun frigate La Gloire.

Lieutenant Figg, who during the war was repeatedly engaged on boat-service and in action with the enemy’s batteries, left the Pickle on 26 August 1815, and from that period remained on half-pay until the close of 1820, when he successively assumed command of the Sylvia and Griper Revenue-cutters. Since quitting the latter vessel he was not employed. He acquired the rank of Commander on the retired list 21 April 1840; and the Out-Pension by Greenwich Hospital on 22 August 1850. He married on 23 June 1821, and had five children, and wore a medal with two clasps for Camperdown and Copenhagen. Commander Figg died on 11 August 1858, at Portobello.