Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 2 clasps, Centaur 26 Augt 1808, Amanthea 25 July 1810 (Geo. R. W. Trefusis, Midshipman.) very fine and a unique combination of clasps £12000-14000

Provenance: Spink N.C., June 1958; Sotheby, October 1893; Turl Collection 2010.

Approximately 41 clasps issued for ‘Centaur 26 Augt 1808’. George Trefusis is confirmed as First Class Volunteer aboard the Centaur 74 during the pursuit of the Russian fleet and the capture of the 74-gun Sevelod.

Approximately 23 clasps issued for ‘Amanthea 25 July 1810’. George Trefusis is confirmed as Midshipman aboard the Thames 32, at the capture and destruction of 31 Franco-Neopolitan transports and other vessels under the batteries of Amanthea, on the Calabrian coast.

The Honourable George Rolle Walpole Trefusis was born on 8 April 1793, third son of Robert George William Trefusis, 15th Lord Clinton. He joined the Royal Navy, 24 April 1806, as First Class Volunteer on board H.M.S. Centaur (Commodore, afterwards Rear-Admiral, Sir Samuel Hood). On 25 September following, he was in company with the Mars and the Monarch off Rochefort at the capture of four heavy French frigates; in 1807 he assisted at the siege of Copenhagen and witnessed the surrender of Madeira.

In August 1808, Sir Samuel Hood in Centaur accompanied by Implacable, Captain Thomas Byam Martin, joined Rear Admiral Nauckhoff and the Swedish fleet in Oro Roads and they all sailed from there on the 25th, in pursuit of the Russian fleet which had appeared off Sweden two days earlier. Due to their superior sailing Centaur and Implacable were soon well in advance and closing on the Russians who appeared to be in disorder. By the morning of the 26th, Implacable was able to bring the leewardmost of the enemy's line-of-battle ships, the Sevolod 74, Captain Roodneff, to close action. After 20 minutes the enemy's colours and pendant were lowered but the approach of the whole Russian force obliged Sir Samuel to recall Captain Martin. A Russian frigate took the crippled ship in tow but when the Russian Admiral hauled his wind, Centaur and Implacable gave chase and forced the frigate to slip her tow. The enemy ships again bore down in support but instead of engaging they entered the port of Rager Vik (also known as Port Baltic or Rogerswick). When boats were sent out to try and tow her in to harbour Centaur stood in and, after driving the boats off, ran across the bow of the Sevolod just as she was entering the harbour. The Centaur then lashed the Sevolod’s bowsprit to her mizen-mast and both ships soon drifted aground. The Russians refused to strike and the battle went on until the arrival of the Implacable finally induced the Russian ship to surrender. Implacable had to heave Centaur off. However, the prize was so firmly aground that after taking out the prisoners and wounded men, Sir Samuel ordered her to be burnt. Implacable lost six men killed and twenty-six wounded including two who did not recover and three who had limbs amputated. Centaur lost three killed and twenty-seven wounded, and the Sevolod 303 killed, wounded and missing.

Trefusis afterwards served with Lord Radstock, March 1810 to November 1813, in the Thames 32 and in the Volontaire 38, on the Mediterranean station. In the boats of the Thames, supported by those of the Pilot and Weazle sloops, he was present on 25 July 1810 at the capture and destruction, under the batteries of Amanthea, of a convoy of 31 vessels, laden for Murat’s army, together with seven large gun-boats and five scampavias. He was also in them at the demolition, 16 July 1810, of 10 large armed feluccas on the beach close to Cetraro, in the Gulf of Policastro. He was in the boats of Volontaire under Lieutenant Isaac Shaw, when they brought out from the harbour of Palamos, 26 December 1811, a well protected privateer La Décidé, mounting 2 long 6-pounders (pierced for 6) with a cargo of provisions from Cette, bound to Barcelona; he went out in the boats again when they captured a felucca, La Colombe, of 1 long gun, 8 swivels, and 45 men, on 23 June 1812, an expolit which occasioned the British loss of a Midshipman and two ratings wounded, and the enemy of 3 killed and 7 wounded. After service as a Midshipman in H.M.S. Royal William, he was appointed Lieutenant in H.M.S. Ethalion, Captains E. Heywood and W. H. Dobie and served on the coast of Ireland until August 1815. He was appointed to H.M.S. Iris, flag ship of Sir Home Popham off Greenwich, in December 1815, and was promoted to the rank of Commander on 2 March 1816. His subsequent appointments included service in H.M. Ships Redwing and Jaspar, wherein he was engaged in affording protection to the oyster fishery between Jersey and the coast of France, a service for which he was advanced to Post rank on 24 June 1824.

His last appointments were to the North Star 28, May 1831, Winchester 52, flag ship of Sir Edward G. Colpoys, and Sapphire 28, all of which were on the North America and West India, the Barbadoes division of which he took charge of from July 1833. Captain Trefusis paid off the Sapphire in October 1834, and, not having been afterwards employed, accepted the Retirement on 1 October 1846.