Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Waterloo 1815 (William Holmes, 42nd or R.H. Reg. Infantry.) fitted with steel clip and contemporary silver bar suspension, solder deposit near obverse clip, overall light contact marks and edge bruising, otherwise nearly very fine £2,000-£2,400

William Holmes was born in the Parish of Alness, near Tain, Ross-shire, and enlisted into the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment at Fort George, Inverness, on 30 May 1807, aged 20, for unlimited service. He served with the regiment as a Private throughout the Peninsula and at Waterloo and lived to claim the M.G.S. medal for the battles of Busaco, Fuentes d’Onor, Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes and Toulouse, at which last battle the musters record him as being wounded. He was promoted to Corporal in June 1820 and to Sergeant in November 1821, but reverted to Private in December 1822 and was discharged in that rank at Chatham on 13 January 1830, ‘his constitution being very shaken by rheumatism and infirmities of age.’

Sold with copied discharge papers and full muster search.