The unique Waterloo Medal awarded to Lieutenant Thomas Baynes, 39th Foot, who served as A.D.C. to Major-General Sir John Lambert at Waterloo, where he had two horses killed and two wounded under him

Waterloo 1815 (Lieutenant Thomas Baynes, 39th Foot.) fitted with contemporary replacement silver clip and swivel-bar suspension, overall contact marks and edge bruising, otherwise nearly very fine and rare £6000-7000

Ex Glendining’s, November 1907; Payne Collection 1911, and Needes Collection 1939. A unique medal to the only officer of the 39th Foot present at Waterloo.

Thomas Baynes was appointed Ensign in the 39th Foot on 27 October 1808, and Lieutenant on 20 July 1809. He served in Sicily with the 39th during Murat’s threatened invasion in 1810 and 1811. He proceeded with the regiment to Portugal in October 1811, and served during the whole of Lord Hill’s operations in Spanish Estramadura and Portugal in that and the following year, taking part in the advance to Madrid and the Burgos retreat; and the advance on Vittoria, at which battle he received a severe wound, being shot through the neck. On recovering from his wound, he joined Sir John Lambert commanding a brigade in the 6th division at the pass of Maya, and served with him as his Aide-de-camp in the operations in the Pyrenees, in September and October 1813, passage of the Nivelle, passage of the Nive, and the battle of St. Pierre, battles of Orthes and Toulouse. He was present at New Orleans in 1814 and 15. As A.D.C. to Sir John Lambert, commanding 10th Infantry Brigade (1/4th, 1/27th and 1/40th), he served at the battle of Waterloo, where he had two horses killed and two wounded under him, and subsequently at the capture of Paris.

Baynes was promoted to Captain in the Royal African Colonial Corps in January 1824, reverted back to the 39th Foot as Captain in June 1826, and transferred to the 88th Foot in November 1827, being placed on half-pay on 20 November 1828. Captain Baynes died at Brussels on 27 May 1847.