Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Egypt (Masters Norman. Midshpmn.) naming contemporarily re-engraved in upright serif capitals, nearly very fine £300-£400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Naval General Service Medals 1793-1840.

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The original medal awarded to Masters Norman, later Commander R.N., was sold by Glendining’s in July 1919 and by Sotheby’s in March 1979.

Masters Norman was born on 30 March 1784, at Portsea, Hampshire. His eldest brother, James, died whilst serving as First-Lieutenant of the Prince George. The second, William, after having fought at Trafalgar, as acting First-Lieutenant of the Thunderer, was killed while leading a storming party at the capture of the Ile de Passe. His third brother, Charles, a Lieutenant of the Rota’ was killed in the boats during an attack on the American privateer General Armstrong.

Masters Norman entered the Navy in 1799 as a volunteer on the Cormorant, in which he was wrecked, while in the conveyance of despatches from Lord Keith to Sir William Sidney Smith, off Damietta, on 20 May 1800. He was captured but exchanged after a few months of cruel captivity. He served in the operations in Egypt in 1801, returning to England after the peace. In March 1803, he went to sea once more and saw service in various ships for the next five years. In the summer of 1808, he sailed for the West Indies in the schooner Flying Fish but was invalided out due to a fall from the rigging. His last appointment was to the Coast Guard, in which he served for over five years. Commander Masters Norman died on 8 July 1876, aged 92.