The Glorious First of June

When the haze lifted on 1 June 1794, Admiral Howe's fleet engaged the navy of Revolutionary France for the first time in what became the largest sea battle in the French Revolutionary Wars. Although it was henceforth decreed by the Royal Navy that the First of June would forever be 'Glorious', it was not a decisive victory since the French loss of seven ships was mitigated by the fact that their grain convoys from America to France made their destination, thus preventing an outbreak of famine in the Revolutionary Republic.

It is interesting to note that the Naval General Service Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1847, for issue to officers and men of the Royal Navy and was retrospectively awarded for various naval actions during the period 1793 to 1840, provided the applicant for the medal was a surviving claimant. One surprising claimant was 54-year-old Daniel Tremendous McKenzie, who had been born during the battle of the Glorious 1st of June on board HMS Tremendous, and was duly awarded the medal 54 years later for a battle fought on the day he was born!

Which brings me to the expression "son of a gun". This came about during the Age of Sail when ladies such as Mrs McKenzie were in transit on His Majesty's ships and needed to give birth, the only place available was to have a part of the gun deck between two cannons, screened off, for the birth to take place, hence the expression:- "son of a gun". Now you know.