A Small Group of Rare and Important Military General Service Medals x468


A very rare and important M.G.S. medal for the capture of Martinique in 1809, awarded to Major-General John Robyns, K.H., Royal Marines, one of only 15 M.G.S. medals issued to Royal Marine recipients; he was afterwards actively employed in North America 1813-14, where he commanded a battalion of 400 marines at the capture of Washington in August 1814, and in the action before Baltimore in September 1814, when he was severely wounded and General Ross was killed - for these services he obtained the brevet of Major in October 1814 - and later in the battle of New Orleans and operations around Mobile in 1815


Military General Service 1793-1814, 1 clasp, Martinique (J. Robyns, Capt. R.M.) toned, extremely fine £12,000-£16,000 Provenance: Bonham’s, May 1994.


The ‘Journal of John Robyns R.M.L.I. 1786-1834’ is in possession of the Royal Marines Museum, Portsmouth, temporarily closed. Numerous extracts from this important unpublished journal formed the basis of a lengthy and very detailed study of the career of Major-General John Robyns by Dr Donald F. Bittner, Professor of History at the Marine Corps University, Quantico, Virginia, U.S.A., as part of his ‘Officers of the Royal Marines in the Age of Sail’, published by the Royal Marines Historical Society in 2002, small parts of which are quoted below.


John Robyns was born in 1779 and received a commission as Second Lieutenant in the Royal Marines in March 1796, soon after which he went in H.M.S. La Verginie, 44, to the East Indies, where he was stationed nearly five years, with visits to such other places as Macao, Shanghai, Formosa and the Philippines. Upon his return he was employed on the Irish station, engaged extensively on convoy duty, primarily to and from the West Indies. Promoted to Captain in June 1807 and joined H.M.S. Neptune, 90, in which ship he served on the West Indies station between 1808 and 1810.


The capture of Martinique


In the West Indies in 1809, Robyns experienced his initial major combat ashore on Martinique. Although not part of the newly authorised Royal Marine Artillery, Robyns, with Marines and seamen, landed three times to erect mortar and howitzer positions to fire on the French positions. This included one battery of six pieces on 3 February 1809, which fired effectively on Pigeon Island, a strong fortification in Fort Royal Bay to the south of its entrance. It surrendered the next day, and he counted five enemy killed, four dangerously wounded, and 140 prisoners.


Amidst the movements of the two forces, he noted the French were “now cooped up in Fort Bourbon, an amazing strong fortification on a hill commanding Fort Royal and the town”. Preparations then continued for the attack on Fort Bourbon, with his mortars and stores moved to the opposite shore. Then, on 9 February another position, Fort Edward, was unexpectedly evacuated by the French with the garrison retiring to Fort Bourbon. Robyns assessed Fort Edward after the York Rangers took possession of it and noted the “excellent bomb proofs hewn out of the solid rock... will effectively screen our men from the fire of Fort Bourbon”.


The ensuing days saw Robyns land again with 80 Marines to erect further batteries and an exchange of fire between the two forces which he duly assessed: on 10 February, “A smart fire kept up between Fort Edward and Fort Bourbon, also on own camp, but without doing any material damage”, while on 21 February a little excitement occurred: “Batteries still playing but with little intermission, our shells apparently doing great execution; our ammunition tent blew up this morning at 10 o’clock, killing and wounding several men.” Two days later, fortune favoured the attackers: “This morning at 3 o’clock one of the magazines in Fort Bourbon blew up by one of our shells with a tremendous explosion; at daylight they proposed terms which were rejected, opened again a heavy fire”. The next day the French surrendered, and Robyns succinctly commented that “the capitulation was soon signed, our loss has been trifling compared to them”. That evening, 24 February, he and his Marines returned to H.M.S. Neptune. On 7 March the French evacuated Fort Bourbon, “marching out with the Honours of War, amounting to about 2000”. Two days later Robyns made his final comment on this successful joint co-operation between the British Army and Royal Navy: “The capture of this important island, considering its strength was effected in a very short space of time, and the exertions of the seamen is above all praise, the utmost unanimity prevailed between both services which could not but lead to the most favourable result.”


North America 1813 to 1815


In August 1813, he went to North America in H.M.S. Albion, taking part in patrols and some captures. Thus, a day after capturing the American South-sea man Monticello, the Albion had another seizure. As Robyns briefly noted on 9 December 1813, “captured this afternoon, a beautiful packet sloop of about 60 tons, from Charleston, bound to New York having passengers and a cargo of cotton and rice, a number of bales they threw overboard during the chase. Sent her to Bermuda”. On 3 January 1814, he recorded another capture, another American South-sea man returning from Chile, but ruefully noted that she had only 350 barrels of oil; the next day was better, for one sloop, the Dove out of Charleston bound for New York, was captured with a cargo of rice and cotton.


On 25 January 1814, Albion and other accompanying vessels were off New London, Connecticut. There, he noted that four miles from town, “the United States ‘Macedonian’ and ‘Hornet’ are at anchor; the town is defended by four strong forts, particularly one on the hill”. Two days later, he further noted that, “The American squadron moved from their anchorage some distance up the river above the town, apprehensive I suppose of an attack”.


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