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Auction: 23003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 9

Military General Service 1793-1814, 4 clasps, Busaco, Fuentes D'Onor, Salamanca, Toulouse (John Davidson, 42nd Foot), suspension slightly slack, one or two minor edge knocks, otherwise very fine

Provenance:
Glendining's May 1937 and July 1947.

John Davidson is confirmed on the roll with entitlement to this Medal and clasps for his services during the Peninsular War; it is worthy of note that Private Davidson is one of only two members of the 42nd to claim this number and combination of clasps.

The 2nd Battalion of the famous 'Black Watch' (otherwise known as the Royal Highland Regiment of Foot) participated in the Peninsular campaign from 1810 and swiftly saw action at the Battle of Busaco (27 September) as part of Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Blantyre's 2nd Brigade of the 1st Division. At Fuentes de Onoro (3 - 5 May 1811) the 42nd found themselves positioned immediately behind Fuentes de Onoro itself and saw its fair share of the action, both helping to halt a massed French cavalry attack and assisting in the final repulse of the enemy from the streets of the village - they sustained some 36 men killed and wounded.

Though the battalion then participated in the sieges of Cuidad Rodrigo and Badajoz, Davidson was clearly not one of their number; in May 1812 the 1st Battalion returned to Spain and the 2nd Battalion were sent home and so, like many of his comrades, Davidson was transferred from the latter to the former. At Salamanca (22 July) the battalion were in reserve and suffered casualties of only three men wounded - but an entirely different situation emerged at the Battle of Toulouse (10 April 1814) when the Highlanders of the 42nd were selected to lead the assault on the city defences. Here, in the face of stiff French resistance and mis-managed manoeuvres on the part of the Commanding Officer, the battalion was reduced from 500 all-ranks to a mere two officers and 60 men fit for duty by the end of the day. Davidson was lucky to survive.

The 42nd Foot were again mobilised for the Waterloo Campaign, and Davidson was one of their number as a Private in Captain Murdoch McLaine's company. Again, the regiment were much in the thick of the fighting and suffered horrific casualties at the Battle of Quatre Bras (16 June 1815) when they were successfully charged by French cavalry; the commanding officer was killed and his two successive replacements either killed or wounded themselves. In a confused engagement the 42nd formed square whilst surrounded by enemy cavalry, some of whom were trapped inside before being despatched by the bayonets of vengeful Highlanders. By the end of the day they had lost approximately 400 officers and men killed and wounded - testament to their hard fighting.
At Waterloo, two days later, the battalion was offered little respite as they were positioned in almost the centre of the Allied position - an area which saw some of the heaviest fighting of the day. Here they suffered another 50 casualties and had overall taken some of the worst losses of any of Wellington's regiments during the Waterloo Campaign. Marching on to Paris, the 42nd remained there until the end of the year when they returned home to Edinburgh.

Sold with a letter, dated 1969, from the Curator of the Black Watch Museum at Balhousie Castle, Perth, confirming that Davidson was present at Quatre Bras and/or Waterloo and thus entitled to the Medal for that campaign.


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Sold for
£1,500

Starting price
£800