Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria to include a Fine Collection of Napoleonic Medals

Waterloo 1815 (Thomas Morris, 2nd Battn. 73rd Regt. Foot) contemporary re-engraved naming, fitted with replacement silver ball and straight bar suspension, contact marks, otherwise nearly very fine £500-600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Fine Collection of Napoleonic Medals and Artefacts.

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Thomas Morris was born at St George’s, Middlesex, on 15 August 1795. He joined the Loyal Volunteers of St George’s, Middlesex, on 11 May 1812, and enlisted into the 2nd Battalion 73rd Foot at Colchester on 29 May 1813. He served with Number 6 (Grenadier) Company in the Waterloo campaign and was wounded at Waterloo. Promoted to Corporal, 17 October 1815, he transferred to the 1st Battalion in May 1817 and was discharged on 20 November 1818.

He was the author of Recollections of Military Service in 1813-14-15, first published in 1845, with several further and successively expanded editions. Here he describes how he was wounded at Waterloo:

‘Our situation now was truly awful; our men were falling by dozens every fire. About this time, also, a large shell fell just in front of us, and while the fuze was burning out, we were wondering how many of us it would destroy. When it burst, about seventeen men were either killed or wounded by it; the portion which came to my share, was a piece of rough cast-iron, about the size of a horse bean, which took up its lodging in my left cheek; the blood ran copiously down inside my clothes, and made me rather uncomfortable.’

Sold with copied entry from The 2/73rd at Waterloo by Alan Lagden & John Sly.