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

The Naval Gold Medal awarded to Vice-Admiral Sir William Mitchell, K.C.B., who commanded H.M.S. Isis at the battle of Camperdown

Captain’s (Small) Naval Gold Medal 1794-1815, for the battle of Camperdown, 11 October 1797 (William Mitchell Esquire, Captain of H.M.S. the Isis on the 11 October MDCCXCVII. The Dutch Fleet Defeated) fitted with replacement lunettes and later gold swivel-ring bar suspension and ribbon buckle, nearly extremely fine and rare £30,000-£40,000

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

View
Collection

Two Large and fourteen Small Naval Gold Medals were issued for the battle of Camperdown 1797.

William Mitchell was born in about 1746 and first appears as an Able Seaman aboard H.M.S. Dolphin on 8 July 1766, being advanced to Quarter Gunner prior to being paid off from her in June 1768. It would seem that he did not serve with the British Fleet in any capacity for the next nine years, during which period he quite likely served as a junior officer in the Merchant Navy. In July 1777 he rejoined the Royal Navy aboard H.M.S. Hector, once again being rated an Able Seaman. However, within four months he was promoted to Midshipman and thus began his climb up the promotion ladder within the executive branch of the Navy. By August 1778 he had been advanced to Master’s Mate and on the 27 August he joined the Victory. In March 1781 he joined the Foudroyant as an Acting Lieutenant and in the following November was promoted to Lieutenant R.N. Remarkably, within six months he was further promoted to Commander.

Mitchell was given command of the sloop Calypso in February 1787, and of the 5th Rate Regulus in October 1790. The following month he received his promotion to Captain R.N. and, as was usual for recently promoted officers, placed on Shore on ‘Half Pay’ to await the offer of a new command. Mitchell had to wait another four years before he was offered command of the 3rd Rate Colossus, which he took up in April 1794. He subsequently held rather short commands of the Excellent, Caesar, Nonsuch and Salisbury, in which last vessel he was wrecked with total loss of his ship on Recif de las Folle, Ile a Vache, Haiti, on 13 May 1796.

He took command of the 4th Rate Isis at the end of August 1797, and in October 1797, when news reached the Admiralty that the Dutch had called off their plans to break out, the fleet was recalled to Yarmouth to refit and resupply. On 8 October, however, the Dutch fleet under Admiral de Winter did indeed break out. They were followed by ships Duncan had left behind to watch them. On receiving the news, Duncan immediately ordered his ships to sea and by midday on 9 October, Duncan was at sea with 11 ships-of-the-line, heading to intercept the Dutch as they headed south down the North Sea. More ships put to sea as they became ready, so that by 11 October, Duncan had 18 ships-of-the-line available to him.

Duncan's plan was to follow that of Lord Howe at the Glorious First of June - that was, to break through the enemy's line of battle, with each ship passing between two enemy vessels and raking them through their bows and sterns before turning and each ship then engaging a single enemy ship. The Dutch had turned and were heading towards the land, hoping to lure the bigger British ships into shallow water where the smaller Dutch ships would have the advantage. Duncan guessed that this was what they were up to and ordered his ships to engage the enemy as best they could. This led to the British fleet splitting up into two uneven divisions.

H.M.S. Isis was part of the Windward Division, commanded by Admiral Duncan in H.M.S. Venerable (74). At 12:05, the Dutch fired the opening shots in the battle of Camperdown, with the Dutch ship Jupiter engaging H.M.S. Monarch. The Leeward division of the British fleet under Vice-Admiral Richard Onslow managed to isolate the Dutch rearguard, and by 13:45 the Dutch ships Jupiter, Haarlem, Alkmaar and Delft had all surrendered. Things were more evenly matched in the northern part of the Dutch fleet with all Duncan's ships engaged in single-ship actions against their Dutch opponents. With the rearguard mopped up, Onslow ordered his ships to head north and assist Duncan's force. H.M.S. Director (64) was quickest to respond, along with H.M.S. Powerful (74). By 15:00, all but the Dutch flagship, the Vrijheid had either fled or surrendered. The Dutch flagship was eventually forced to surrender by Captain William Bligh in H.M.S. Director. In this action, H.M.S. Isis got off relatively lightly, receiving only slight damage and suffering 2 dead, but with 21 men being wounded. The British victory at Camperdown was overwhelming. The Dutch fleet had been convincingly defeated within sight of their own shoreline.

Mitchell duly received one of the 14 Gold Medals awarded to captains of ships that participated in this famous victory and, until the glories of the Nile and Trafalgar eclipsed all previous victories, the decisive character of the battle of Camperdown formed one of its most distinctive features.

Mitchell took command of H.M.S. Resolution in July 1799, and of the Zealand in April 1803, but this was to be his last command as he was discharged to Shore and ‘Half Pay’ in September 1804. He was now well placed to receive the ‘dead men’s shoes’ automatic promotion which operated in the Navy then, and for decades to follow. Promoted to Rear-Admiral of the Blue in April 1808, of the White in July 1810, and of the Red in August 1811, he became Vice-Admiral of the Blue in December 1813 and of the White in June 1814. He was appointed one of the first of the newly created Knight Commanders of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath on 4 January 1815. Vice-Admiral Sir William Mitchell, K.C.B., died at Camberwell, Surrey, on 7 March 1816, at the age of 70.