Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A fine Naval General Service medal awarded to Brevet Major Arthur Hull, Royal Marines, who served with Nelson aboard the Theseus in the ill-fated attack on Santa Cruz when Nelson lost his arm, and afterwards in the same ship at the battle of the Nile and at the siege and defence of Acre; in July 1801 he was wrecked aboard the Jason on the French coast at St Malo, the whole crew being taken prisoners of war

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 2 clasps, Nile, Acre 30 May 1799 (Arthur Hull, Lieut. R.M.) original ribbon, toned, extremely fine £8000-10000

Arthur Hull was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Marines on 5 April 1796 and joined Theseus on 17 September 1796, from H.Q. Portsmouth, and remained in this ship until the end of 1800. The Theseus 74, Captain Ralph Williett Miller, was Admiral Nelson’s flagship in the ill-fated attack on Santa Cruz de Tenerife in July 1797 when the squadron, consisting of three sail of the line, three frigates, and a cutter, made an attempt to capture a galleon anchored in the bay. The officers of marines on board the Theseus were Captain Thomas Oldfield, who had recently been wounded at Cadiz but now had overall command of the marines of the squadron, 1st Lieutenant George Beatty, and 2nd Lieutenant Arthur Hull.

The squadron arrived off Tenerife on the 20th, and on that night the Seahorse, Emerald, Terpsichore, and Fox, with some of the boats of the squadron, endeavoured to land men to seize a fort on the north-east side of the bay, but failed, owing to adverse winds and currents. On the 22nd, the squadron drew closer in, and, at night, succeeded in landing some men; but, as the heights were found to be strongly held, the people were re-embarked. On the evening of the 24th, Nelson anchored his squadron to the north-east of the town, and made a feint as if to disembark a force in that direction; but at 11 p.m. he put 700 seamen and Marines into his boats, 180 more into the Fox, and yet another 75 into a captured provision boat, and, himself assuming the command, pushed off in rough weather and thick darkness for the mole head. At 1.30 a.m. on the 25th, the Fox and the boats containing Nelson, Fremantle, Thompson, and Bowen, as well as a few other craft, got undiscovered within half gunshot of their destination; when suddenly an alarm was sounded and a heavy fire was opened on them. The Fox was sunk, and with her went down 97 men. Nelson was struck on the right elbow, just as he was drawing his sword and jumping ashore from his barge, and he had to be conveyed back to the Theseus, where he arm was immediately amputated. Another shot sank Bowen's boat, drowning seven or eight people. Yet, in spite of these disasters, that part of the British force landed and carried the mole head, driving off in confusion the three or four hundred men who had held it, and capturing and spiking six 24-pounders mounted upon it. But a heavy fire of musketry and grape was immediately afterwards directed upon the mole from the citadel and houses near it, and the British were mowed down by scores, the brave Bowen and his first lieutenant, George Thorpe, being among the killed.

During this time the boats under Captain Troubridge, Captain Waller, and others, unable, owing to the darkness and the surf, to make the mole, had landed under a battery to the southward of the citadel; and Captains Hood and Miller subsequently landed further to the south-west. Several boats, however, had to put back. Troubridge and Waller, having collected a few men, advanced to the great square of the town, where they expected to meet the Rear-Admiral and the remaining Captains. They sent a summons to the citadel, but, receiving no answer, they joined Captains Hood and Miller, and resolved to make an attempt upon the citadel, although they had lost all their scaling ladders. No sooner did they begin to move than they discovered that the place was crowded with troops, and that every street was commanded by field-pieces. To add to their difficulties, most of their ammunition was wet, and nearly all their boats were stove in. Unable, thus, either to advance or to retire, Troubridge, with magnificent effrontery, sent Hood with a flag of truce to the governor, to say that, if the Spaniards advanced, the British would burn the town. At the same time, he offered to capitulate on the following terms: the British to be allowed to embark with their arms in their own boats, or, if these were destroyed, in others to be furnished to them; and the ships before the town to molest it no further, and not to attack any of the Canary Islands.

The Spanish governor seems to have been taken captive by the very audacity of these proposals, coming as they did from people who were already practically at his mercy. Not only did he provide the British with boats, and allow them to depart, but he also supplied them with wine and biscuit, ordered that the wounded should be received into his own hospital, and sent a message to Nelson to the effect that the squadron was at liberty, during its stay, to send on shore and purchase whatsoever refreshments it might need.

This lamentable but not inglorious affair, was very costly to the squadron. In addition to Captain Bowen, and Lieutenants George Thorpe and John Gibson (Fox), Lieutenants John Weatherhead (Theseus) and William Earnshaw (Leander), Lieutenants of Marines, Raby Robinson (Leander) and William Basham (Emerald), and twenty-three seamen and fourteen Marines were killed. Rear-Admiral Nelson, Captain T. F. Fremantle, and T. B. Thompson, Lieutenant John Douglas (Seahorse), Midshipman Robert Watts, and eighty-five seamen and fifteen Marines were wounded. In addition, ninety-seven seamen and Marines were drowned, and five were reported missing.

Theseus subsequently played a distinguished part at the battle of the Nile, and her marines were especially noticed for their gallantry during the many sorties and attacks made during the defence of Acre, Major Oldfield being killed and Lieutenant Beatty wounded. During these operations a terrible disaster occurred on board the Theseus on 14 May, by a mishap to some shells from which the carpenter and a midshipman were attempting to remove the fuses. The resulting explosion took the lives of the gallant Captain Miller, the schoolmaster, two midshipmen, 23 seamen and three marines. In addition, six seamen and three marines were drowned by jumping overboard, and a further seven officers and 40 men were wounded, making a total of 87 killed and wounded by the explosion.

Lieutenant Hull’s eventful presence in Theseus lasted until at least December 1800, but shortly afterwards the Portsmouth R.M. contingent on board were replaced by one from Chatham, whereupon, on 12 March 1801, Hull joined the new 36-gun 5th rate frigate Jason, Captain Hon. John Murray. On 21 July 1801, Jason was wrecked on the French coast in the bay of St Malo, all her crew being saved but taken prisoners of war by the French. Following the loss of the Jason it was reported that the French were attempting to refloat the wreck with a view to taking her into St Malo, and had so far succeeded in hauling her under the protection of their batteries. In a most gallant action she was boarded by a party under Lieutenant Ross of the Weazle who, under a heavy fire, laid charges and succeeded in blowing the ship to atoms. The crew of the Jason were released under license on 3 August 1801, when three cutters from Weazle flying the ‘cartel flag’ brought them off. On 20 August 1801, a Court Martial was held on board the Gladiator, in Portsmouth Harbour, on Captain Murray and the officers of the Jason, for the loss of that ship at St Malo, but, after a full investigation, Captain Murray and his officers were acquitted.

Arthur Hull was promoted to 1st Lieutenant in 1802 and to Captain in 1808. He was further promoted to Brevet Major on 27 May 1825 and went on half-pay on 29 August 1826, after which his name disappears from the Army Lists.