Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The rare Military General Service Medal for Martinique and Guadaloupe awarded to Staff Surgeon A. Melville, 46th Foot, one of only seven officers of the Regiment to receive the M.G.S.

Military General Service 1793-1814, 2 clasps, Martinique, Guadaloupe (A. Melville, Asst. Surgn. 46th. Foot.) nearly extremely fine, rare to unit £3,000-£4,000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals to the 46th Foot and its Successor Units.

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Collection

Glendining’s, April 1934.

Just 25 Military General Service Medals were awarded to the 46th Regiment of Foot, and with the exception of Assistant Quartermaster General William Beresford, who was attached to the Staff, the only clasps that the Regiment received were for Martinique and Guadaloupe, as follows:
1 clasp, Martinique: 5 other ranks
1 clasp, Guadaloupe: 1 officer and 2 other ranks
2 clasps, Martinique and Guadaloupe: 5 officers (including Melville) and 11 other ranks.

Alexander Melville was born on 10 December 1783 and underwent his medical training in Edinburgh, qualifying as a Doctor in 1801. He served as Hospital Assistant in St. Vincent from 24 March 1804, and was appointed Assistant Surgeon of the 46th Regiment of Foot on 10 September 1807. He served with the Regiment for the next four years, and was present at the actions on Martinique in 1809, and on Guadaloupe the following year. He was posted to the 3rd West India Regiment as Surgeon on 26 September 1811, and then to the 25th Regiment of Foot on 25 December 1812. He was appointed a Surgeon of the First Class on the Staff in the West Indies on 3 August 1826, before transferring to the half-pay List at his own request on 17 October 1834, ‘finding my health impaired from long residence in the West Indies, having served upwards of thirty years on Full Pay.’

Sold with copied research.