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Auction: 25002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 65

The Military General Service Medal awarded to Lieutenant T. Dowker, 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot, whose medal represents a unique combination of clasps to the unit

Military General Service 1793-1814, 6 clasps, Talavera, Busaco, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive (Thos. Dowker, Lieut. 53rd Foot.), minor scratches to obverse and reverse fields, very fine

Provenance:
Spink, 1902.
Glendining's, January 1916 & September 1963.

Thomas Dowker, of Salton, Yorkshire, was born in 1791 and commissioned Ensign (by purchase) in the 53rd Regiment of Foot on 20 April 1809. Serving with the 2nd Battalion during the Peninsular War, within three months of joining he saw his first major action at the Battle of Talavera (27-28 July) and was promoted Lieutenant on 15 March 1810 before being present with his regiment for the Battle of Busaco on 27 September that year. Missing Salamanca and Fuentes de Onoro (perhaps due to illness or detached duty), Dowker then participated in the final actions of the war until being placed on half-pay in the 38th Foot in December 1814 'in consequence of ill-health...contracted during the five years served in Spain, Portugal, and France.' Note is also made that he was: 'Slightly wounded on the 28 July 1813 but never received a pension, in the Pyreneas' [sic].

Returning home, he appears to have settled in Huntington (now in the suburbs of York) and married on 5 December 1820, with his death occurring in June 1866.

Sold with a small file of copied research and the original medal riband.

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Sold for
£3,000

Starting price
£1400