Silver medal awarded to George S. Grant, Seaman, in 1811 by the Captain and crew of HMS ‘Diana’.

The ‘Diana’, a 38-gun frigate, was launched in 1794 and was active throughout the Napoleonic Wars. Between 1804-06 she served on the West Indies station; on the Irish station between 1806-09 and then was engaged in patrolling the English Channel and the French coast. On 30 November 1811 she captured an abandoned French brig and a crew was put on board to bring her into port. Five of the ‘Diana’s’ crew then mutinied with the intention of taking the ship into a French port, murdering Mr Andrews a midshipman, a quartermaster and the Captain’s steward. The mutineers were overpowered and were ‘brought in heavy irons to be tried by a Court-Martial’.

The medal is made of silver and engraved on the obverse is the inscription, ‘Virtue ever meets its reward’ engraved within a border with a wreath of leaves tied with a bow below, a Winged Victory standing on a cloud holding a wreath in her right hand over the head of a sailor with a ship in the distance. On the reverse is the following inscription: ‘Presented to Geo. S. Grant, Seaman, by the Captain, Officers, Seamen and Marines of His Majesties Ship Diana for his exertions and exemplary conduct in having recovered a prize wherein the crew had Mutiny’d and murdered the Midshipman, a Quarter Master and the Captain’s Steward on the 30th November 1811 with the intention of taking her to France’.