Orders, Decorations and Medals

Waterloo 1815 (Lieut. W. Tait, Royal Staff Corps) fitted with original steel clip and replacement silver bar suspension and silver ribbon buckle, nearly extremely fine and rare £1000-1200

Ex Payne Collection 1911.

William Tait was appointed Ensign on 26 October 1809, and promoted to Lieutenant on 17 October 1811. He served with the Royal Staff Corps in the campaign of 1815, and was present at the battle of Waterloo (Medal). He was placed on the half pay of the 97th Regiment in July 1819, and retired in 1829.

Formed in 1800 as Rutherford’s Regiment and redesignated as a ‘Corps to be Attached to the Quarter Master General’s Department’ in 1801, the regiment became the Royal Staff Corps in 1803. Only nine officers and two private soldiers of the Royal Staff Corps were present at Waterloo, the latter probably acting as officers’ servants.