Naval Medals from the Collection of the Late Jason Pilalas (Part I)

The Naval General Service medal awarded to Robert Drummond, a servant on Nelson’s personal retinue as his Valet aboard the Victory at the battle of Trafalgar; he also served as servant and steward to Captain Thomas Hardy for seven years

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Trafalgar (Robert Drummond.) medal contained in a contemporary silver frame, lacking glass lunettes, the disc correctly impressed and frame also inscribed with his name, very fine £14,000-£18,000

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

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Sotheby, June 1977.

Confirmed on the roll as Able Seaman aboard H.M.S. Victory at Trafalgar, serving as a servant on Nelson’s personal retinue.

Robert Drummond served in H.M.S. Victory at Trafalgar as one of Nelson’s personal retinue, rated on the books as Able Seaman. Drummond served under Captain Hardy both before and after his time in the Victory: in the Amphion from June 1802 to July 1803; and afterwards in the Triumph. He then served as steward to Rear Admiral Harvey in the St George from 1808 to 1809. Earlier he had been steward to Captain Wood of the Concorde.

In April 1808, Hardy wrote him a certificate saying: ‘These are to certify whom it may concern that Robert Drummond has served as my Servant more than Six Years and as Steward these last Twelve Months and I beg to recommend him as a most faithful Clean attentive good Servant’.

Victory's muster shows that Drummond and Bartlett (Hardy’s steward) were discharged to the Chatham yacht on 22 December 1805 to accompany Nelson's body to Greenwich along with others of Nelson's retinue. Drummond entered Greenwich Hospital in 1851 after his wife died, and died there on 15 June 1868.


Sold with a good-sized portrait photograph of Drummond in old age wearing his medal. A different stereoscopic image of him wearing his medal also exists that is captioned ‘Robert Drummond - Lord Nelson’s Valet.’