Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Defective Medal: Military General Service 1793-1814, disc only, pierced at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock and fitted into a swivelling ring mount with brooch fitting (W. Cousins, 1st Foot.) nearly very fine £150-200

Entitled to 1 clasp, Nive.

William Cousins was born in Nottingham circa 1781. He was a shoemaker by trade and served in the Peninsula with the 1st Foot for 3 years. At an Examination of Invalid Soldiers on 28 June 1853, when aged 72, he was granted a Pension of 6d per diem having been ‘Discharged 24 May 1816 Wounded left fore arm at Bayonne.’

Sold with copied Examination papers together with other research and two original letters: one written by Sarah Beardall in 1920 in which she explains that the medal was given to her great grandfather by Mr Cousins, minus the clasp and suspension, as they had served together in the Peninsula, and Cousins had no issue. Her great grandfather had it mounted for his wife to wear. He himself had been at Sir John Moore’s burial at Corunna. The second letter is from Sarah’s nephew relating that the medal had been in his possession until selling it in 2007.