Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Nelson Testimonial Medal 1844, by E. Avern, 60mm, pewter, the obverse featuring a bust of Nelson facing left, enclosed by a garter, ‘England Expects Every Man Will do His Duty’; the reverse featuring a view of the Column in Trafalgar Square, with the National Gallery and the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in the background, ‘To Commemorate the Opening of the Nelson Testimonial in Trafalgar Squ.’, the exergue dated ‘21 October 1844’, pierced for ring suspension as usual (Ref: Hardy 97, M.H. 531) numerous shallow edge cuts on obverse, otherwise very fine or better, the high relief portrait particularly clear, a pleasing example overall and extremely rare £400-£500

These Testimonial Medals were presented to 357 Greenwich Pensioners who had served at all four of Nelson’s major actions - St. Vincent (39), Nile (35), Copenhagen (45), and Trafalgar (238) - along with a gratuity of ten shillings in a ceremony at Greenwich Hospital on 2 April 1845. The cost of the medals was provided by the Testimonial Committee of the Parishioners of St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields who had originally intended to use the funds for a special ceremony on the completion of the Column (at the time known as ‘Nelson’s Testimonial’ on 1-2 November 1843, at which a number of the pensioners were to be present. This had to be cancelled due to inclement weather and then a second public ceremony, to be held on the Queen’s birthday, 24 May 1844, was also cancelled due to the entreaties of local tradesmen.

Captain Douglas-Morris knew of only one Testimonial Medal paired with a Naval General Service, and of fewer than ten single examples. For further information, see his Naval Medals 1793-1856, pp. 49-53, from where it is clear that very few of these medals - despite the number apparently presented - seem to have survived.