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Auction: 19001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 25

(x) Waterloo 1815 (Corp. Wm. Newbiggen, 1st Batt. 79th Reg. Foot.), with replacement clip and straight-bar suspension, contact marks and edge bruising, nearly very fine

William Newbiggen/Newbiggin served in Captain Thomas Mylne's No. 3 Company at Waterloo, part of General Sir James Kempt's 8th Division. The 79th were to advance through the woods at Quatre Bras and soon found themselves in the face of a hail of French lead. Ordered to lie amongst the rye and scores of dead enemy in order to minimise further losses, Private Vallance recounted:

'My face, hands, clothes and belts were bespattered with the blood of my killed and wounded companions.'

Their square wavering after repeated attack, it would be Piper MacKay who wrote himself into regimental history by gallantly removing himself and parading around the square playing 'War or Peace' upon his trusty pipes - his complete disregard for death buoyed his comrades who bravely stood to their task for the remainder of the day. Newbiggen lived to claim a 6-clasp Military General Service Medal.

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Sold for
£2,200