Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A unique 1801 Medal awarded to Ensign John Armstrong, 49th Foot, for his gallantry aboard H.M.S. Ardent at the battle of Copenhagen, 1801, where detachments of the 49th served as Marines

Circular silver medal with laurel wreath border, silver, hallmarks for London 1801, the obverse engraved with the Royal Crown and ‘Copenhagen 49 1801’, the reverse engraved ‘A Reward for Gallantry from Capt. C. Plenderleath to Ensign J. Armstrong H.M.S. Ardent’, with small ring suspension, light cabinet marks, good very fine £1,400-£1,800

Provenance: Armstrong’s group of three medals, consisting his Naval General Service Medal, Military General Service Medal and this silver Gallantry medal for Copenhagen, were sold at Sotheby’s in 1910; in the Payne collection in 1911; and finally as part George Dalrymple White’s Collection in 1946. The group was subsequently split, each medal coming up for sale separately during 2013 and 2014.

At the Battle of Copenhagen, 2 April 1801, the 49th Foot and the Experimental Corps of Riflemen (later 95th Rifles), served aboard the fleet of Lord Nelson. Both Regiments were initially to be tasked with landing during the battle and attacking shore targets, however, it was subsequently decided that they should be distributed amongst the fleet to serve as marines. According to the Rifles museum:
‘The 49th saw action throughout the fleet. Men of the Regiment inflicted heavy losses to a Danish floating battery. As casualties among the sailors mounted, soldiers of the 49th helped man the guns. Lieutenant Armstrong was awarded a medal for gallantry by his company commanding officer. The 49th lost 13 men killed and 41 wounded.’

Additionally, a Regimental history, ‘The Royal Berkshire Regiment’ by Frederick Myatt, has a section of the book dedicated to the 49th at Copenhagen and confirms the award to Armstrong’s Silver medal, though it seems the exact act of gallantry that caused Captain Plenderleath to award Armstrong with this medal has been lost to time:
‘Lieutenant Armstrong of the 49th performed some notable – although unfortunately unrecorded act of gallantry on H.M.S. Ardent for which in the fashion of the day, he was given a private medal by Captain Plenderleath his company commander. Considering all things the Regiment was fortunate to escape with a casualty list of thirteen killed and forty one wounded.’

Armstrong’s award is again confirmed in ‘A Regimental Medal Collection: 88th and 94th Regiments: the Connaught Rangers’, by Colonel H. F. N. Jourdain, Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research Vol. 28, No. 115 (Autumn, 1950), pp. 127-131. This article notes Armstrong receiving both the Naval and Military General Service medals but critically was also awarded ‘a special medal for Copenhagen, soon after that battle.’

A study of the 49th Foot’s presence at the battle of Copenhagen was produced by Commander W.B. Rowbottom, R.N., on behalf of General Sir Felix Ready, the Colonel of the Berkshire Regiment in 1936. Using muster rolls, he was also able to establish which Officer were in which ships (medal rolls at error a number of times) along the number of other ranks. Aboard H.M.S. Ardent were; Lieutenant Colonel John Vincent, Captain Charles Plenderleath, Ensign John Armstrong, Ensign Joseph de la Hay and 78 other ranks.

At the battle of Copenhagen, H.M.S. Ardent was heavily engaged, suffering 94 Officers and men killed or wounded. This was the fourth highest number of casualties sustained by any ships in Nelson fleet.

John Armstrong was born c.1780 and was commissioned Ensign in the 49th Foot on 2 April 1800, taking part in the Naval Battle of Copenhagen in 1801. On 26 September 1804, he advanced to Lieutenant in the 5th Reserve, before transferring to the 2nd Garrison Battalion on 25 December that year. Transferring to the 88th Foot on 25 July 1807, he served with the 1st Battalion, 88th Foot in the Peninsula between March 1809 and April 1814, taking part at the battles of Busaco, Foz a, Fuentes d’Onor, El Bod, Cuidad Rodrigo (severely Wounded), Badajoz (wounded during assault), and Salamanca. Promoted Captain on 5 January 1815, he was placed on half pay by reduction of his battalion, 25 March 1816. He did not served again.

In addition to the silver gallantry medal, for his services, Armstrong later received a Naval General Service Medal with the Copenhagen clasp (Ensign 49th Foot) and a 5 clasp Military General Service Medal for his service as an Officer in the 88th Foot.