Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Waterloo medal awarded to Lieutenant Herman Wolrabe, 1st Light Battalion, King’s German Legion, who was severely wounded at Villafranca on 24 June 1813; slightly wounded before Bayonne on 27 February 1814; severely wounded at a sortie made by the enemy from the citadel of Bayonne on 14 April 1814; and again severely wounded at Waterloo, in defence of La Haye Sainte, 18 June 1815

Waterloo 1815 (Lieut. Herman Wolrabe, 1st Light Batt. K.G.L.) fitted with original steel clip and ring suspension, very fine £4,000-£5,000

An Important Collection of Medals to the King’s German Legion, Dix Noonan Webb, April 2003.

Herman Wolrabe joined the Legion on 26 March 1811. He served in the Peninsula 1812-13; in Southern France 1813-14; in the Netherlands 1814; the campaign of 1815 and at the battle of Waterloo. He was severely wounded at Villafranca on 24 June 1813; slightly wounded before Bayonne on 27 February 1814; severely wounded at a sortie made by the enemy from the citadel of Bayonne on 14 April 1814; and again severely wounded at Waterloo, in defence of La Haye Sainte. He was placed on Half Pay on 25 October 1815, and died at Pomrau, near Klötze, in Hannover, on 14 February 1820.

The farm of La Haye Sainte, located in front of the centre of Wellington’s line, was of crucial tactical importance to both attackers and defenders at Waterloo. French possession of the farm would give them the necessary springboard for the final attack on the Duke’s centre. If the French failed to occupy La Haye Sainte, Wellington’s centre was almost certainly secure. Unlike Hougoumont, whose possession was not critical to either side, La Haye Sainte was vital to both and held the key to the progress of the battle. The farm had a garrison of some 400 men of the 2nd Light Battalion, K.G.L., under Major George Baring, all armed with Baker rifles, who successfully defended the farm from the start of d’Erlon’s attack at around 1.30 p.m. until forced to abandon the post some five hours later. Throughout this time they were subjected to repeated heavy assaults in which the attackers hugely outnumbered the defenders. In the lulls between attacks the farm was under constant fire from skirmishers.
Major Baring, having lost in the first attack upon La Haye Sainte, many officers and men in killed and wounded, applied for a re-inforcement, upon which two rifle-armed companies of the 1st Light Battalion under Captains Von Gilsa and Henry Marschalk were sent to his assistance. To these and part of his own (2nd Light) Battalion he gave the defence of the garden, and placed the remainder of his force in the buildings, under the charge of the three officers who had already so gallantly defended them.
The combat continued at La Haye Sainte, and the 1st Light Battalion fired with great effect upon the troops which advanced against it from the road, but their loss was considerable, and several officers were wounded. Late in the afternoon, Baring and his men were desperately short of ammunition in the face of a terrific onslaught by the French, and reluctantly Baring gave the order to retire from the yard into the rear garden held by Captains Gilsa and Marschalk.
The dwelling house now being in the hands of the enemy, Baring saw that it would be impossible to retain the garden and therefore retired to join two companies of the 1st Light Battalion in the hollow road behind the farm. Here the combat raged again, and many men and officers were struck down: of the 1st Light Battalion, Captain Henry von Marschalk, who throughout the day had exhibited a degree of coolness and bravery that could not be exceeded, was killed; Captain von Gilsa had his right arm shattered; Lieutenants Wolrabe, Leonhardt, Behne, Miniussir; Captain Christian Wynecken, Lieutenants Koester, Gibson, Genzkow, and Adolph Heise were wounded, the first three severely.