Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal:The Capture of Quebec

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Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal:The Capture of Quebec

AssociatedAssociated with Lord Mountbatten of Burma (Frogmore House, Windsor, England, 1900 - 1979)

Medallist John Pinches, Medallists

DateMay 2004

Object NameMedal

MediumSterling Silver

ClassificationsMedals

Dimensions44mm

AcquisitionPresented in 2004 by Dr Joan M Burrell.

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDMS072500.24

Keywords

About MeThe capture of Quebec was the consequence of the most successful combined operation in the age of sail because it resulted in the acquisition f New France for the British crown. The names of the Generals Wolfend and Montcalm, who were both killed in the battle on the Heights of are sufficiently well known, but that of Admiral Sir Charles Saunders, who commanded the fleet which took Wolfe's army up the St Lawrence, deserves to be equally remembered. The relationship between the admiral and the general throughout this hazardous operation and the collaboration between the services was a model for the future.

The capture of the citadel guarding Canada was part of a wide strategic plan for which William Pitt, as Prime Minister, and Lord Anson, as First Lord of the Admiralty, deserve great credit. While Hawke blockaded the French fleet at Brest, three expeditions were launched to conquer Canada. The western one was to advance from the Great Lakes, another worked northward up the line of the River Hudson, while the third and most important amphibious force was to capture Louisburg at the entrance of the St Lawrence and then advance upstream to take Quebec. All three ultimately converged on Montreal, the capital of Canada.

In 1758 Louisburg fell. In 1759, as soon as the ice broke, Wolfe and Saunders took 22 ships and 8,000 men in 200 transports up the St Lawrence. As there were no charts, this 300-mile navigation was a perilous business, in which James Cook, as Master of HMS Pembroke, first distinguished himself.

Having arrived off the city early in the summer, camps were established on the Isle of Orleans and at Point Levis, opposite the citadel, the guns of which covered the crossing. Wolfe therefore made his first attack to the east at the falls of Montmorency, but this was beaten off. He then decided to pass the smaller ships up river under cover of darkness, while the bigger ships remained in the basin to bombard the city. The up-river force was commanded by Admiral Sir Charles Holmes. Before dawn on 13th September boats carrying 5,000 troops dropped down-river to a path leading up the cliffs to the Heights of Abraham. This difficult operation was carried out and after a pitched battle, in which British musketry fire was decisive, the city surrendered.

In 1760, when all three forces converged on Montreal, the conquest of Canada was completed.

The Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea, John Pinches Medallists Ltd.