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Auction: 24002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 33

Military General Service 1793-1814, 7 clasps, Talavera, Busaco, Funetes D'Onor, Salamanca, Vittoria, Orthes, Toulouse (J. Bradshaw, Serjeant, 14th Light Dragoons.), edge bruising, good very fine

Provenance:
Spink, 1949.

James Bradshaw (alias Berridge) was born circa 1780 in Wollaston, Northampton and enlisted at Kingston, Surrey in 1805 and was promoted Corporal the next year. They arrived at Lisbon in December 1808 under the command of Colonel Hawker and became the only Regiment to receive the "Douro" battle honour when, on 12 May 1809, two squadrons crossed the Douro River to block the French retreat thus helping Lieutenant-General Arthur Wellesley drive General Soult out of Oporto. They again saw action at Talavera during which they helped successfully stop the final French attack on Wellesley's centre, with Bradshaw later promoted Serjeant in November 1809 in place of Alex Smith, who was taken a prisoner of war. The unit was involved in an ill-advised charge under General Craufurd at Villar de Puerco before joining General 'Black Jack' Slade's Brigade, with whom they were kept in reserve for the Battle of Busaco on 27 September 1810. At the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro, they were involved in several charges under Slade against the French cavalry to cover the retreat of the Light Division. During the battle, Bradshaw was wounded and spent 6-9 May in General Hospital, the circumstances of his injuries are unclear but unlikely to have been severe given the short length of his convalescence.

Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Ponsonby commanded the 14th Light Dragoons at Villagarcia where they defeated General Lallemand's cavalry and took over a hundred prisoners. They saw further action at Castrillo in July 1812 and routed two French Dragoon regiments and not a week later during the Battle of Salamanca, together with German Hussars they engaged a French cavalry brigade and later pursued the fleeing French. They were involved in a particularly notable event at the Battle of Vittoria, in which they captured King Joseph Bonaparte's chamber pot and allegedly called it "The Emperor", with the Regiment subsequently being known as "The Emperor's chambermaids".

Bradshaw was reduced to Private in August 1813 and, as part of Hill's corps, the unit was engaged against the French left flank at the Battle of Orthes and remained in Hill's corps for Toulouse in April 1814. Bradshaw was promoted Corporal in November 1826 and was the next month promoted to Serjeant before, in consequence of 'impaired vision, the effect of age', being discharged at Leeds in 1829 with 'exemplary' conduct after having served nearly 25 years. Bradshaw was admitted to pension and according to census records lived the rest of his life in East Leake, where he died of apoplexy on 7 November 1855 at age 76; sold together with copied research.

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Sold for
£1,500

Starting price
£1200