Orders, Decorations and Medals

An extremely rare Victorian M.S.M. pair awarded to Sergeant-Major J. Gillies, Royal Artillery, ‘almost certainly the last enlisted man to wear his Waterloo Medal in uniform’ at the time of his discharge, aged 67 years, in 1854

Waterloo 1815 (John Gillis, Bombardier, Royal Foot Artillery), with old replacement clip and ring suspension; Army Meritorious Service Medal, V.R. (Serjt. Major John Gillies, Royal Artillery), officially impressed naming, both fitted with decorative riband buckles, naming details worn in places as a result of edge bruising, the first with heavy contact marks and polished, fine, the second rather better (2) £3000-3500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Meritorious Service Medal Groups from the Collection of Ian McInnes.

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John Gillies was born in Campbeltown, Argyll in 1787 and enlisted in the Royal Artillery in April 1808, when he joined Major Lloyd’s Company in the Foot Artillery. Having witnessed active service in the disastrous Walcheren operations in the following year, and been advanced to Bombardier, he was present at Quatre Bras and Waterloo, where Lloyd’s Company formed part of Halkett’s 5th Brigade and won an “honour title”. Whenever his guns appeared to be in danger of capture, Major Lloyd - who was eventually killed - ordered his men to remove one of the wheels of each piece, and roll them back into the protection of an infantry square, thereby preventing the enemy cavalry from dragging them off.

Gillies gained advancement to Sergeant in the 1820s but was never awarded the L.S. & G.C. Medal, even though he became eligible for a William IV-issue in 1830. He was, however, advanced to Sergeant-Major in 1842 and was awarded one of nine annuity M.S.Ms issued to the Royal Artillery on 18 April 1848 - these were in fact the first such awards to the Regiment as they claimed none in the previous year. Latterly the Repository Sergeant-Major at Woolwich, Gillies was discharged in 1854, aged 67 years, when ‘almost certainly the last enlisted man to wear his Waterloo Medal in uniform’ (The Annuity Meritorious Service Medal 1847-1953, by Ian McInnes, refers). He died in March 1858, when the second most senior R.A. annuitant.