A George III openwork engraved oval gold badge with fouled anchor and engraved legend commemorating Earl Howe and the Battle of the Glorious First of June, 1794, circa 1794

Known to its contemporaries as the 'Great War', the long conflict between England and Revolutionary France which began in 1793 was characterised by a series of large-scale sea battles in which the Royal Navy proved consistently victorious. After a century of signal victories over successive French fleets, the Royal Navy's senior commanders began the new war with high expectations and the opening fleet action so seized the British public's imagination that the battle henceforward became known as the 'Glorious First of June', 1794. As soon as War had been declared the previous year, the blockading squadrons of the Royal Navy were sent to their stations of the French ports and within months, exacerbated by a poor harvest, serious food shortages were causing civil unrest in cities throughout France, most notably Paris. The United States of America ever mindful of French assistance during its own struggle for independence less than twenty years before, was only too willing to supply France with grain to feed her starving population and it was against this background that the War's first encounter at sea was fought out.

Intelligence had reached the Admiralty that a huge convoy of 117 grain ships was gathering in Chesapeake Bay and the French fleet at Brest was preparing to put to sea in order to escort it safely in. As soon as Admiral Lord Howe received this news, he ordered his own fleet of twenty-six ships-of-the-line to sea and spent much of April and May (1794) cruising the Western Approaches in an attempt to prevent the convoy and its escort joining forces. In this respect he was unlucky and, by the time he eventually sighted the enemy on 28th May, both escort and convoy were heading for Brest together. Howe gave chase immediately and a running fight lasting three days then ensued during which the French had the advantage of heavy weather. By dawn on 1st of June, about 400 miles out in the Atlantic, Howe had managed to get to windward of the French and at 7.16am signalled his fleet to attack. His strategy was to run his ships down upon the enemy to break their line at its centre and in the ensuing action, H.M. ships Queen Charlotte, Defence, Marlborough, Royal George and Brunswick did exactly as Howe had intended. By 10am, the two fleets were embroiled in a general mêlée and, by noon, six French ships-of-the-line had been taken and a seventh, Le Vengeur du Peuple, had been sunk after a tremendous duel with H.M.S. Brunswick. Although escaping capture, the French flagship Montagne was badly mauled and had 300 men killed on her shattered decks. What remained of the French fleet was in great disarray but Howe's ships were also damaged and his crews too exhausted by the encounter to pursue the survivors. Moreover, amidst the confusion of battle, the vital grain convoy sailed on unscathed and managed to reach Brest without loss. In truth therefore, the British victory was tactical rather than decisive but, in the jubilation afterwards, this nicety was overlooked and Lord Howe emerged loaded with honours from a grateful King and country.

For rare similar oval examples like the present lot see; Admiral the Marquess of Milford Haven, British Naval Medals: Commemorative Medals, Naval Rewards, War medals [...], London, 1919, no. 430 (illustrated) and no. 431.

Badges of this particular pattern were to be made, from the bronze of captured guns, by order of Lord Howe as reward for men who had distinguished themselves in battle (Milford Haven, op. cit., p. 218). It is possible that this example in gold, was a prototype for those to be made from bronze. Two further examples of this form are recorded in 1919 by the Marquess of Milford Haven, one in his own collection and a further in the collection of the then Earl Howe. Presumably the present example was unknown to the author, it therefore represents an exciting discovery directly by descent from the 1st Earl Howe.