A superb Trafalgar and Arctic exploration pair awarded to Rear-Admiral William Robertson, Royal Navy, a Midshipman in the Defence at the battle of Trafalgar and a Lieutenant in the Isabella in Captain Ross’s expedition to discover the North West Passage in 1818; believed to be the only Trafalgar officer to also serve in Arctic waters and receive medals for both

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Trafalgar (Wm. Robertson, Midshipman.); Arctic Medal 1818-55, unnamed as issued, with original ribbons and Times obituary cutting, and contained in a contemporary fitted case, brilliant extremely fine (2) £30,000-£40,000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Naval Medals from the Collection of the Late Jason Pilalas.

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Family source circa 2003.

Confirmed on the roll as Midshipman aboard H.M.S. Defence at the battle of Trafalgar, and as Lieutenant in the Isabella under Captain John Ross, commanding the 1818 expedition to discover the North West Passage.

William Robertson was born at Leith, Scotland, in 1786 and entered the Royal Navy on 9 June 1803 as Midshipman on board the Defence, in which ship he took part in the battle of Trafalgar.

Under Captain George Hope the Defence was with Vice-Admiral Sir John Orde's squadron in April 1805, and later with Sir Robert Calder's and Collingwood's fleets. Then, on the 21st October 1805, she was one of the lee column led by Vice-Admiral Collingwood, but, being very close to its rear, was not able to engage the enemy until some two and a half hours after firing had been commenced by the foe. Then, for nearly half an hour, she plied her guns at the French 74, Berwick; afterwards assailing the Spanish San Ildefonso, also a 74, which fought for about an hour and then struck her flag. It is fair to say that she had been previously engaged by others of the British, which had contributed materially to her roll of casualties, amounting to something like 200 men killed or wounded. The Defence had thirty-six killed and wounded. Her damages were confined to a shot through the mainmast, which was otherwise cut in several places. Much of her lower and topmast rigging was shot away, besides which her gaff was cut in two, and she received some injury to her hanging knees and chain plates. The Defence and her prize, anchoring that evening (as the dying Nelson had desired the fleet should do), weathered the gale that followed the battle, and thus the San Ildefonso became one of the few trophies of victory saved from the tempest on this occasion. It is noticeable that a large proportion of the officers and crew of the Defence at Trafalgar were Scotsmen.

After various services afloat he joined Captain Hon. Robert Stopford in the Spencer in the expedition against Copenhagen in 1807, on which occasion he was taken prisoner. Escaping in May 1809, he joined, in August of that year, the Victory, flag-ship in the Baltic of Sir James Saumarez, by whom he was nominated, 20 September, Acting Lieutenant of the Dictator. He was confirmed Lieutenant in February 1810 and subsequently served in the Lynx sloop on the North Sea station, and then in the Sarpedon sloop, Fortunée sloop, and Erne of 20 guns, in which ship he was serving at the close of the war with France in 1814. He next joined the Isabella hired ship under Captain John Ross, fitting out for a voyage of discovery in the Arctic regions.

The expedition of 1818 was instigated by the Admiralty for the purpose of discovering the North West Passage to China and to reach the North Pole. Four ships were commissioned for the expedition; Alexander and Isabella to find the North West Passage, and Trent and Dorothea to reach the North Pole. These four ships sailed from England in May 1818 and Isabella and Alexander, under the command of Captain John Ross and Lieutenant William Parry respectively, set out for Baffin Bay, sailing along the west coast of Greenland and reaching Melville Bay before becoming beset by ice. They remained in the ice for some time and were in continual danger of the pack forcing them together with the threat of them smashing into each other. Fortunately the pack ice suddenly receded and the ships were free from danger. They sent a party ashore after rounding Cape York to inspect the cliffs of Cape Dudley Digges, which were covered in what appeared to be crimson snow but what was in fact protococcus, a rapidly multiplying plant that turns red when exposed to light. The ships then continued northwards where they encountered a party of Eskimos, of the Etah race not previously encountered. Ross gave them the name ‘Arctic Highlanders’. Ross continued his voyage passing to the south of Smith Sound giving the names Cape Isabella and Cape Alexander to two cliffs that mark the southern entrance to Smith Sound. He then sailed down Lancaster Sound for some fifty miles until he saw what he thought was land round the bottom of the bay, which formed a chain of mountains connecting the land on the north and south side of the Sound. Parry did not see these mountains and tried to persuade Ross to sail on. Ross, however, turned back when in fact he could have gone further. Ross’s return to England was not popular and he was not given any credit for the discoveries he had made.

After serving in the Conway, Creole and Diamond on the South American station, Lieutenant Roberston joined the Galatea as Flag Lieutenant to Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, in December 1826, when that officer escorted to Lisbon a body of troops intended as a reinforcement to the Portuguese Constitutionalists, and took part in an experimental cruize. He became a Commander in November 1827 and served in that capacity in the Snake on the North Sea station from May 1832, and on the South American station from June 1833, where he captured a Portuguese brig having on board 425 slaves. He subsequently served under Lord John Hay in the Castor on the North Coast of Spain from May 1836 until January 1837, when he was made Captain. He was promoted to his final rank of Rear Admiral on the retired list in July 1857, and died at Bath on 6 April 1861, aged 75.

Admiral Robertson is believed to be the only Trafalgar officer to also serve in Arctic waters and receive medals for both.

Sir John Franklin died in June 1847 before his medals were issued; his NGS with 3 clasps including Trafalgar and the first Arctic medal were posthumously presented to his family