Military General Service 1793-1814, 4 clasps, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, St. Sebastian (Benjn. Martin, Lieut. 4th Foot) original ribbon, nearly extremely fine £2000-2400

Benjamin Martin was born in 1774. He was commissioned an Ensign by purchase in the 90th Regiment on 26 December 1798 and was promoted to Lieutenant without purchase in the same regiment on 3 June 1802. He was placed on Half Pay by reduction on 24 December 1802. On 30 October 1806 he transferred to the 4th Regiment as a Lieutenant without purchase. With the 4th Regiment he served in the Peninsula War, being present at the siege and capture of Badajoz, 16 March-6 April 1812, the battle of Salamanca, 22 July 1812, battle of Vittoria, 21 June 1813 and the siege and capture of St. Sebastian, 17 July-8 September 1813. The regiment was then posted to North America where it saw action at the battle of Bladensburg, 24 August 1814, the capture of Washington, 24/25 August, the attack on Baltimore, 12-14 September 1814 and the battle of Godley Wood.

Lieutenant Martin was serving with the 4th Foot at the battle of New Orleans, 8 January 1815. The regiment with a total strength of some 740 officers and men on the day of the battle suffered casualties numbering 1 officer and 41 other ranks killed, 22 officers and 232 other ranks wounded and 1 officer and 54 other ranks missing. Lieutenant Martin was listed as severely wounded in the battle (ref. London Gazette 9 March 1815).

With the end of hostilities in America, Lieutenant Martin and the regiment returned to England. Arriving in Deal on 18 May the regiment was quickly refitted and on 12 June was landed at Ostend in preparation for the imminent campaign against Napoleon. There is some doubt as to whether Lieutenant Martin was present at Waterloo on 18 June 1815. In Mullen’s ‘M.G.S.’ Roll it states in the ‘remarks’ section, ‘The supplementary roll states “Left at Ostend 12th June to copy orders, by order of Commandant”, but may well have rejoined by 18th June’. Martin is credited with being at Waterloo in the Army Lists, ‘Dalton’, and others, and was certainly paid £34.14.91/2 in prize money ‘for the battle of Waterloo and the capture of Paris, 1815’ but whether he was awarded a Waterloo Medal is not entirely clear. On 11 November 1818 he transferred to the 85th Regiment as a Lieutenant on Half Pay. He died of ‘natural decay’ on 29 September 1849 at 90 Blenheim Street, Westgate, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, his death certificate listing his occupation as ‘Lieutenant in 85th Reg. of Foot’. He was buried in Ford Street Cemetery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Sold with a fine watercolour portrait of Lieutenant Martin in uniform. Together with three original commission documents appointing Benjamin Martin an Ensign in the 90th Regiment of Foot or Perthshire Volunteers, dated 26 December 1798; Lieutenant in the same regiment, dated 3 June 1802, and Lieutenant in the 4th or King’s Own Regiment of Foot, dated 30 October 1806. Interestingly, the ailing monarch’s (George III) signature on the 1806 document shows a marked deterioration compared to the earlier two. Sold also with a folder containing a quantity of copied papers, roll and gazette extracts and other research.