Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Egypt 1801 N.G.S. medal awarded to Commander Charles Fox, Royal Navy, whose service included a period under the intrepid Lord Cochrane in the Speedy frigate

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Egypt (Geo. Fox, Lieut. R.N.) nearly very fine £4000-5000

Provenance: Baldwin, July 1965; Glendining, February 1973 and July 1978; Sotheby, June 1984

George Fox was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, on 28 September 1773, and joined the Royal Navy as Able Seaman in July 1795, and was borne upon the Ships Books of H.M.S. Malabar (Captain T. Parr) from July of the same year. He served in the latter ship at the reduction of Demerara, Essequibo, Berbice and Ste. Lucie and was in the Malabar when she foundered, 10 October 1796, on her return home from the West Indies. After brief service in the Pelter gun-brig he was appointed Midshipman in H.M.S. Pallas (Captain Hon. H. Curzon) and in the latter was wrecked in the Plymouth Sound, 4 April 1798.

He subsequently served in the Foudroyant, Barfleur and the Queen Charlotte, flag-ships of Lord Keith, under whom he pursued the French fleet up and down the Mediterranean and served at the blockade of Malta. After the capture of the French ship of the line Le Généreux, Fox assisted Lord Cochrane in February 1800 by navigating her to Minorca; after which he accompanied Lord Cochrane into the Speedy (14 guns) and assisted in that vessel at the capture of a settee of greatly superior force. Fox was given charge of the prize, and of a convoy, and succeeded in beating off two powerful row-galleys. He joined Lord Keith in H.M.S. Minotaur and in June 1800, 'Fox witnessed the fall of Genoa; from the mole of which place he had the singular good fortune, after the battle of Marengo, of effecting the deliverance of a British 64 [gun] and two transports, all of which but for his own individual exertions would inevitably have been destroyed. The courage and ability displayed by Mr. Fox on this occasion were so marked as to render his enrolment among the officers of their ship an object of ambition to many of the Captains of Lord Keith's fleet, but so high was the opinion entertained of his merits by the Admiral that he was unwilling to part with him, and in consequence retained his services until enabled, on his having passed his examination, to promote him to Lieutenant. Previously to that event, which took place on 23 August 1801, Mr. Fox, who had followed Lord Keith into the Foudroyant, further attended the expedition to Egypt, and had the honour, when Sir Ralph Abercromby was brought on board with his death-wound, to conduct that heroic chief to the cabin which had been assigned to his use.' (O'Byrne refers). He had returned to the Minotaur upon his promotion and journeyed home in her, to be paid off in March 1802. His successive commands on the Home Station were the Sheerness, the Watchful and the Brevdrageren. Fox retired as a Commander in January 1847 and died in 1853.