23rd June 2005 Manx National Heritage Search for Rare Trafalgar MedalCurators at the Manx Museum are seeking help in tracing a rare medal. The Naval General Service Medal with the clasp ‘Trafalgar’ was issued in 1848, more than 43 years after the Battle of Trafalgar. It was only awarded to those men who submitted a claim, and although numbers of Manx sailors were at Trafalgar, only a handful were still alive to claim their medals after such a lengthy interlude.
Manx National Heritage Curator for Social History, Matthew Richardson said:
 “Manx National Heritage is currently planning an exhibition at the Manx Museum in October 2005 to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar and the Manx sailors who took part in it. We are keen to make a feature of the medal for the duration of the exhibition and, rather than using a replica, we would like to feature an original example of this rare medal”. The exhibition, which will open at the Manx Museum in October, promises to be an exciting visit to the world of Manx sailors in Nelson’s fleet. Looking at aspects of naval life such as the press gang, naval armaments, food, medical care and entertainment, ‘The True Glory’ also pays tribute to the many Manxmen who fought in the great naval battles of the Napoleonic Wars.
The medals known to have been awarded were named around the rim to the following recipients:
John Cawle (Cowell) HMS Temeraire (buried at Bride)
Joseph Collins HMS Leviathan (from Douglas)
John Corgeage HMS Defiance (from Ramsey)
Daniel Crutch HMS Pheobe
Paul Kelly HMS Orion
Lewis Buckle Reeves HMS Victory (buried at Onchan)
The most famous Manxman to have taken part in the battle, Lieutenant John Quilliam, did not live long enough to claim the medal, but his uniform and sword will form the centrepieces of the exhibition “The True Glory: Manxmen at Sea in the Age of Trafalgar”.
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