Description
Naval General Service Medal 1793-1840, bar Egypt, Richard Withrill, Royal Marine, HMS Pique, for the 1801 Anglo Ottoman invasion of Egypt against France.
Officially impressed: “RICHd WITHRILL”
Confirmed on the medal roll, a unique name.
The medal has a long standing provenance going back to 1953.
Provenance: Baldwin January 1953, £2.50, Baldwin 1954, £2.25, John Hayward, August 1973, £68, Glendinings September 23rd 1987, £210, Ebay May 2007 £3,113, then Jager Medals, Feb 2018, £2185.
With copy extracts from ships pay books etc.
By the time of the issue of the medal close to 50 years after the event during 1847, only 9 men from HMS Pique lived to claim the Egypt clasp, the
HMS Pique was a ship new to the British Fleet, it was previously owned by the French Navy, being known as “La Pallas” before it was captured during February 1800 by a British Squadron off the coast of France in a “well fought close and running action of 2 hours.”
The next year it was named HMS Aeolus but was then renamed to Pique in 1801.
The pay lists refer to it as “La Pique”.
According to this entries in the Ships Book and Royal Marines records:
Mr Richard Withrill was born in All Saints, Wallingford, Berks circa 1779
Attested for service on 8th September 1800 with the Royal Marines, being signed up by Capt Timins at London.
Aged 21, standing 5 foot 5 3/4 inches tall. Brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion, having worked as a Labourer.
The Royal marines wasted no time in finding him a ship, joining the freshly captured HMS Pique on 29th October 1800.
He would served on board throughout the Egypt Campaign (2nd March to September 1801) until the ship was paid off in July 1802.
He saw 15 years of service with the Royal Marines, before he was discharged on 8th December 1815 “Discharged Over Age”.
In later life he is shown in the 1851 Census, living with his Son in Pyrton, Henley, Oxfordshire.
He is shown as a 79 year old Widower and “Pauper”.
THE PIQUE IN EGYPT
The ship served off the coast of Egypt during the Egypt Campaign from 8th March 2nd September 1801.
9th May 1801, letters received at Plymouth from Determinee of the 18th of March, states that she was well and was cruising off the Island of Candia (Crete) in company with La Pique.
On 30th May 1801, the French Xebec “Good Union” of 10 guns and 92 men from Alexandria, bound for France was captured by the Pique and Determinee.
On 5th June 1801, the Pique was chased by the French Squadron bound for Egypt off Brindis, but managed to escape with intelligence of the Squadron’s position.
Just after being in Egypt : “The English Frigate, La Pique entered Toulon on 12th of October 1801. She was on her way from Malta. The Frigate fired a salute of 21 guns, which the Admiral returned.”
The ship was paid off about 15th July 1802 after arriving home in Portsmouth.
