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Auction: 23001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 64

Pair: Sergeant R. Fisher, 14th Regiment of Foot, who would surely have had the honour to wear his Waterloo Medal into action when his unit famously charged the breach at Bhurtpoor

Waterloo 1815 (Serj. Robert Fisher, 3rd Batt. 14th Reg. Foot.), fitted with contemporary silver clip and bar suspender; Army of India 1799-1826, 1 clasp, Bhurtpoor (R. Fisher, 14th Foot.), short-hyphen reverse, officially impressed naming, with silver top riband bar, the first nearly very fine, the second good very fine (2)

Provenance:
An Important Collection of Waterloo Medals, DNW, December 1994.

Robert Fisher was a native of Ottery St. Mary, Devon and served as a Sergeant in Captain Wilson's Company at Waterloo. Their Regimental History gives more detail;

'On the 18th of June the Third Battalion of the 14th Regiment had the honour to take part in the memorable Battle of Waterloo, the character and importance of which engagement, distinguish it as the greatest event of the age, and mark it as the brightest era in the history of the British Army. The Battalion was composed of young soldiers, who had never before been under fire, but their bearing reflected honour on the corps to which they belonged. During the heat of the conflict, when in 1815 the thunder of cannon and musketry, the occasional explosion of caissons, the hissing of balls, shells, and grape shot, the clash of arms, the impetuous noise and shouts of the soldiery, produced a scene of carnage and confusion impossible to describe, a Staff Officer rode up to Lieutenant-Colonel Tidy, and directed him to form square; this was scarcely completed when the glittering arms of a Regiment of Cuirassiers were seen issuing from the smoke. The French horsemen paused for a moment at the sight of the scarlet uniforms of the 14th, and then turned to the right to attack a regiment of Brunswickers; but a volley from the Brunswick square repulsed the enemy, and Lieutenant-Colonel Tidy, with the view of giving confidence to the young soldiers of the 14th, drew their attention to the facility with which infantry could repulse cavalry. The French cuirassiers rallied, and appeared inclined to charge the 14th, but were intimidated by the steady and determined bearing of the Battalion.'

By the time of the storming of Bhurtpoor, he was a Private. On that famous day, it was recorded that their Commanding Officer gave the order that Waterloo veterans of the 14th Foot - each of whom wore his Waterloo Medal - would form the front ranks of the assault Column for the breach. How many Medals are there in circulation which are known to have been in action themselves?

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Sold for
£5,500

Starting price
£2800