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Auction: 9022 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 114

x Naval General Service 1793-1840, two clasps, Trafalgar, Anholt 27 March 1811 (John. N. Fischer, 1st Lieut. R.M.), slight edge nicks, otherwise good very fine Estimate £ 8,000-10,000 John Nicholas Fischer served as Second Lieutenant Royal Marines in H.M.S. Conqueror for the major fleet action off Cape Trafalgar between the British fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson and the Franco-Spanish fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral P.C. de Villeneuve, 21.10.1805. At Trafalgar the Conqueror was the fourth ship in the weather column, following immediately after the Victory, Temeraire and Neptune, ´´she engaged the French flagship Bucentaure and the Spanish four-decker Santissima Trinidad. She shot away the former´´s main and mizen-masts by the board, her fore-mast in a few minutes sharing the same fate; when, after a loss of over four hundred killed and wounded, a white handkerchief was waved from her in token of submission, and Captain Atcherley, Royal Marines, and a party from the Conqueror was sent on board. There they received the swords of the French Commander-in-Chief, Villeneuve, and the senior military officer, General Contamin. The Conqueror, with the Neptune, then turned her attention to the Santissima Trinidad, whose main, mizen, and fore-masts were soon shot away, and she also struck to the two Britishers, which were immediately borne down upon by five of the enemy´´s ships until other British ships came to the assistance. While the remainder of the combined fleet were making their escape to Cadiz, the Conqueror hauled across the course of one of them which only had her foresail set. Her brave captain stood upon the poop holding the lower corner of a small French jack while he pinned the upper corner with his sword to the stump of the mizen-mast. She fired two or three guns, probably to provoke a return and so perhaps spare the discredit of a tame surrender. The Conqueror´´s broadside was ready, but Captain Pellew, unwilling to injure the brave French officer, fired a single shot across her bow. The captain lowered the flag, took off his hat, and bowed his surrender. The Conqueror´´s losses in the battle amounted to twelve killed and wounded, including four officers. She had her mizen topmast and main top-gallant mast shot away. Her fore and main-masts were badly wounded, and her rigging of every sort much cut, while several shot had struck her on the larboard side between wind and water. One of the enemy´´s shot also cut away the head of the figure at the ship´´s bow, and the crew, through the first lieutenant, asked permission to have it replaced by one of Lord Nelson. The request was granted, and when the Conqueror arrived at Plymouth after towing the Africa to Gibraltar, a figure of the hero, remarkable for the correct likeness and superior workmanship, and which the crew ornamented at their own expense, was placed at her bow.´´ (The Trafalgar Roll, The Officers, The Men, The Ships, Colonel R.H. Mackensie, refers). Three Large Naval Gold Medals and twenty-seven Small Naval Gold Medals were awarded for Trafalgar. Fischer served as Lieutenant in the Royal Marines during the defence of the island of Anholt in the Kattegart, 27.3.1811. A force of 381 Royal Marines and Royal Marine Artillery, under the overall command of Captain James Wilkes Maurice, R.N., stood against an invading Danish flotilla of 12 gunboats, 12 transports with 1,000 troops and about 1,000 seaman. Approximately 38 ´´Anholt 27 March 1811´´ clasps claimed. Captain John Nicholas Fischer, R.M., commissioned Second Lieutenant Royal Marines, 1803, and signed aboard H.M.S. Conqueror in January the following year; it was in the latter that he served at Trafalgar (see above), in 1814 Fischer wrote a short Memorial, which has survived, in which he records that after Villeneuve had surrendered from Bucentaure, the Conqueror put a prize crew aboard her; Fischer was Second in Command of this crew of about 70 men, with the overall command in the hands of Lieutenant Spear, R.N.; the Bucentaure was placed under tow with the prize crew aboard; on the night of the 21st October a large storm gathered and the small prize crew struggled to sail the damaged French vessel; the weather worsened in the morning of the 22nd and the Bucentaure broke adrift from her tow; the French Captain aboard (Prigny) promptly sent for Spear and Fischer and asked them to surrender to him - the French sailors, who were ´´prisoners´´, vastly outnumbered the prize crew; the British surrendered, and under cover of the storm the French made a dash for Cadiz; with the light of Cadiz insight a disaster befell the ship, as she struck a rock which dismounted her rudder; Prigny gave the order to abandon ship, after which the Bucentaure promptly broke against the rocks; Fischer´´s Memorial states the following, ´´he [Fischer] was afterwards wrecked on the Rocks off Cadiz Light House, and after having escaped being drowned was ultimately taken prisoner by the French and transferred by them to the Spaniards´´; ten British seamen and one marine were killed in the wreck - logged in Conqueror´´s Muster Book as being "Discharged Dead" in Cadiz Harbour on the 26th October, in all probability this must have been the 22nd October; one seaman was seriously injured and placed in Cadiz Hospital; sadly no other account survives to corroborate Fischer´´s Memorial; the exchange of prisoners recorded in the Memorial was indeed swift, since the Conqueror´´s books show all the prize crew who were able to return, were once more victualled aboard the Conqueror commencing 5.11.1805; in Spring of 1810 Fischer was personally requested to be appointed for service on the Baltic Station by the Commander-in-Chief of the Station, Admiral Sir James Saumarez; Fischer arrived on the Island of Anholt, 3.6.1810, and was appointed as First Lieutenant and Quarter Master - he was mentioned in Captain J.W. Maurice´´s despatch (Fort Yorke, Island of Anholt, 27.3.1811) for the part he played in repelling the Danish attack on the island (see above); as a result of this action, ´´taken on this glorious occasion, consisted of one brass field-piece, two 4-inch howitzers, 14 shells, 484 muskets with bayonets complete, 470 swords, 16,000 musket ball cartridges. Two transports laden with shells and ammunition, provisions &c. were captured by the Tartar; and two heavy gun-vessels by the Sheldrake´´ (Marshall´´s Biography, Post-Captains of 1809, refers); there were three promotions for this successful defence: Lieutenant Baker R.N. was promoted Commander and Captain Torrens and Lieutenant Fischer R.M. were respectively made Brevet Major and Brevet Captain (both 12.4.1811); Fischer later served in a recruiting capacity in the Manchester area, before leaving the service in 1814; he died 1858. Provenance: Sotheby March 1911

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£18,000