Single Campaign Medals 764


Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Hydra 6 Augt 1807 (R. H. Goddard, Clerk.) minor edge bruise, extremely fine


£8,000-£12,000 Provenance: Glendining’s, March 1993.


One of only 12 Hydra 6 Augt 1807 clasps issued, to John Bennett, Pte. R.M.; Thomas Dredge, L.M.; William Finlaison, Midshipman; Robert H. Goddard, Clerk; Robert Hayes, 1st Lieutenant R.M.; James Huntley, Captain Fore Top; George King, L.M.; John Lee, Cpl. R. M.; George Mundy, Captain R.N.; B. E. Quadline, Boy 2 Class; David Smith, Captain Main Top; and Paul G. Panton, Midshipman.


Robert Henry Goddard was born in Nottinghamshire in 1782 and joined the 38-gun H.M.S. Hydra at sea as a volunteer on 7 September 1804. He was appointed Clerk on 24 September 1804, and was present when Hydra cut out three privateers in an audacious action in Bagur harbour on the Catalonian coast.


‘On 6 August 1807, late in the evening, the British 38-gun frigate Hydra, Captain George Mundy, cruising off the coast of Catalonia, chased into the harbour of Bagur three armed vessels, a polacre ship and two polacre brigs. On the following morning, the 7th, the Hydra reconnoitred the port and discovered that the vessels were strongly defended both by nature and art, lying in a narrow harbour, under the close protection of a battery and tower upon a cliff on one side, and of rocks and bushes, admirably calculated for musketry, on the other. But having great faith in the firmness and resources of his people, Captain Mundy resolved to attempt cutting out the vessels.


Accordingly, at 50 minutes past noon, the Hydra came to an anchor, with springs on her cables, at the entrance of the harbour, and began the attack. A smart fire was returned by the battery and shipping, but which, after an hour's continuance, began to abate. Perceiving this, Captain Mundy despatched a division of his boats, with 50 seamen and marines, under the command of Lieutenant Edward O'Brien Drury, second of the ship, assisted by Lieutenants of marines John Hayes and Edward Pengelly, midshipman John Finlaison, and captain's clerk Robert Hendrick Goddard, a Volunteer, with orders to land on the flank of the enemy, and drive him from the battery. Notwithstanding the heavy fire kept up by the Hydra, the detachments became exposed to a cross discharge of langridge shot from the shipping and fort, and of musketry from the rocks. Unshaken, however, the British advanced, and, having mounted the cliff, which was of most difficult access, attacked the fort with so much intrepidity, that the enemy, having spiked the guns, consisting of four long 24-pounders, rushed out on one side, as the Hydra's officers and men entered at the other.


This gallant achievement enabled the Hydra to direct her fire solely at the vessels, which still maintained a steady cannonade upon the party on shore. Leaving Lieutenant Hayes and nearly the whole of the marines in charge of the guns in the battery, with orders to occupy the heights which commanded the decks of the vessels, as well as the opposite side of the harbour, where the enemy was numerously posted, Lieutenant Drury, with the remainder of the marines and the whole of the seamen of his division, advanced towards the town. As soon as the town was cleared, the French crews abandoned their vessels, and, formed in groups among the rocks and bushes, fired on the seamen, as the latter, having seized the boats on the beach, were boarding the polacres. Meanwhile another party of French sailors, having gained a height above Lieutenant Hayes and his men, annoyed the latter excessively, notwithstanding that some of the Hydra's guns kept playing upon the spot.


By 3.30 p.m. Lieutenant Drury was in complete possession of the vessels, and the seamen, with characteristic intrepidity and coolness, deliberately carried out hawsers to the very rocks occupied by the enemy, and continued warping out their prizes in the teeth of a fresh breeze, and in defiance of a galling fire of musketry. On seeing this, Captain Mundy despatched his third lieutenant, James Little, with the remainder of the boats, to assist Lieutenant Drury and his little party; and at 4 p.m. the three prizes rounded the point of the harbour. The marines then re-embarked, under a heavy discharge of musketry from the enemy, who had collected his whole force to harass the British rear.


The captured polacres were the ship Prince-Eugene of 16 guns and 130 men, brig Belle-Caroline, of 12 guns and 40 men, both belonging to Marseille, and brig Carmen-de-Rosario, of four guns and 40 men. Among the fortunate circumstances attending this very spirited and well-conducted enterprise, was that it was achieved with so slight a loss, as one seaman killed and two wounded on board the Hydra, and Mr. Goddard and three seamen and marines wounded of the detachment on shore. The frigate's damages, also, were confined to a few shot in the hull, slightly wounded fore and mizen topmasts and fore-topsail yard, and some trifling injury to her rigging. The name of Lieutenant Drury, in the list of commanders at the latter part of the year 1807, shows that his gallantry met its due reward.’


Goddard remained Clerk until 1 November 1808, when he was promoted Midshipman. He left the ship on 30 March 1909 for H.M.S. Cambrian ‘on promotion’, and then joined H.M.S. Hecate as Purser on 6 August 1809, and was present in her during the assistance given by the Royal Navy in the capture of the Île de France (Mauritius) on 3 December 1810 (for which no clasp was authorised), and in the capture of the island of Java from July until the surrender on 18 September 1811. He was discharged to H.M.S. Doris on 10 October 1811, and retired as Paymaster on 10 June 1852.


Note: Two medals were issued to this man, the other medal (a 2 clasp award for Hydra 6 Augt. 1807 and Java) forms part of the Douglas-Morris Collection in the Royal Naval Museum.


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