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Thomas Lemon was a First Lieutenant with the Royal Marines who served on the HMS Dreadnought in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. He was given the Naval General Service Medal (NGSM) with Trafalgar clasp after being one of the only Royal Marine officers on board the Dreadnought.
The role of Royal Marines at the time of the Battle of Trafalgar ranged from guard and sentry duties to being sharpshooters on the rigging, targeting individuals on the opposing ship.
The Marines were also always the first line of attack when attempting to board an enemy ship.
The Dreadnought joined the Battle of Trafalgar under the command of Captain John Conn and forced the surrender of the Spanish ship San Juan Nepomuceno.
NGSM were only approved in 1847 and recipients had to claim them, being awarded for naval actions between 1793 and 1840 with the specific campaign represented by a clasp on the ribbon.
The medal will go under the hammer in Chilcotts Auctioneers’ July 17 sale – which also features other important medals.
Duncan Chilcott, an auctioneer, said: “This is a rare medal to come to market for the first time, over 170 years after it was awarded.
“We estimate the sale value to be between £7,000 and £9,000, but it could go much higher because of its rarity.
“Honiton has a connection with the Battle of Trafalgar as the town is located on the Trafalgar Way, the route followed by Lieutenant John Richards Lapenotiere when he rode to London taking news of the victory and Nelson’s death to Parliament.
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