Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An interesting 12-clasp M.G.S. medal awarded to Private George French, 45th Foot, late 52nd Foot, with which regiments he served as military servant to Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Ridewood, until that officer’s death from wounds received at Vittoria

Military General Service 1793-1814, 12 clasps, Roleia, Vimiera, Talavera, Busaco, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse (Geo. French, 45th Foot) nearly extremely fine £5000-6000

George French was born c.1768 in the town of Dursley, Gloucestershire. He was a ‘card maker’ by trade, making hand cards used for teasing wool, but as a result of the wool trade being cut off by the war with France and the introduction of mechanical carding machines, French probably found himself out of employment and enlisted into the 52nd Foot on 17 October 1799. His service with the 1st and 2nd Battalions prior to 1807 was mostly in the U.K. but, during September-December of that year, he served with the 2nd Battalion 52nd Foot in the Copenhagen campaign.

At 40 years of age when he landed in Portugal in 1808, George French was probably considered to be too old for service with the Light Brigade and this may be the reason he was chosen to be military servant to Major Henry Ridewood. French was probably the only non-commissioned man of the 52nd to receive a clasp for the opening battle of the Peninsula War at Roliça, the regiment not being engaged there. Serving with the 52nd at Vimiera, Talavera and Busaco, he followed Ridewood into the 45th Foot upon that officer being promoted to the command of the regiment as Lieutenant-Colonel in June 1811.

At the battle of Vittoria the 45th attacked the French centre after storming across the Mendoza Bridge - ‘The 45th we found posted behind a thin thorn hedge, with its commanding officer poor Colonel Ridewood, whom I had known before, lying on its right, gasping in the agonies of death. A great many men of this regiment had fallen here’ (Surtees, Twenty Five Years in the Rifle Brigade).

French stayed with the 45th after the death of Colonel Ridewood and fought with the regiment through to the battle of Toulouse, thereby seeing action in the first and the last actions of the Peninsula war, and many of those in between.

In the Spring of 1811 he became servant to Major Henry Ridewood of the 52nd Foot, and following Ridewood's promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel in the 45th Foot, French accompanied him, continuing as his military servant. French continued to serve with the 45th Foot until his discharge on 7 March 1815. He entered Chelsea Out Pensioners on 28 November 1815. Residing in Chichester, he died there on 13 November 1850. Sold with copied service papers and other research. How exactly he was employed during this latter period is a bit of a mystery. According to the monthly Muster Rolls he was a frequent visitor to Lisbon when not ‘on duty’ and in 1813 he is described as being ‘on command in France’. Furthermore it is noted that he is to be ‘paid by agents’ rather than by the regimental paymaster as would be the norm.

George French was discharged at Belfast on 7 March 1815, in consequence of old age and bad health. He entered the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, as an out-pensioner on 28 November 1815, and lived near Chichester until his death on 13 November 1850, aged 81 years.

Sold with copied discharge papers and other research.