Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Trafalgar (James Wallin.) some light nicks and marks, otherwise good very fine £5,000-£7,000

Glendining’s, September 1929; Dix Noonan Webb, April 2001.

Confirmed on the roll as an Able Seaman aboard H.M.S. Colossus at the battle of Trafalgar.

James Wallin is borne on the ship’s musters as James Warren and was born in London circa 1782. He entered Colossus as a volunteer from Enterprises on 14 June 1803, and was rated as Able Seaman. He was discharged on 11 December 1805 to Canada, serving on a commission to the West Indies, and deserted from Canada in May 1806, while at Barbados.

The 74-gun Colossus, under Captain James Nicoll Morris, was in the lee column at Trafalgar, her losses being greater than those of any other ship in the fleet. She engaged the French 74, Swiftsure, and the Spanish 74, Bahama, which had been captured from the British on a previous occasion, both of which she obliged to surrender. Her losses in the battle amounted to 40 killed and 160 wounded, while she herself was badly injured. Her mainmast was so damaged that, during the ensuing night, it had to be cut away. Her foremast was shot through in several places, two of her anchors and three of her boats were destroyed, and some of her guns disabled. Four of her starboard lower-deck ports were also knocked away by running on board the Spanish 80-gun ship Argonauta, and her hull in every part of it was much shattered. Her Master was killed and 14 other officers, including her captain, were wounded. She had a hen-coop on board, and during the battle the cock flew out and perched on Captain Morris’s shoulder, crowing loudly, much to the amusement of the crew, who cheered while they kept up the fighting. Captain Morris was severely wounded in the thigh, but the bleeding being stopped by a tourniquet, he remained on deck until the close of the action, when he fainted from loss of blood and was carried below.