The Collection of Medals formed by the late John Darwent

Military General Service 1793-1814, 7 clasps, Busaco, Fuentes D’Onor, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, St. Sebastian, Nivelle (William Oswald, 1st Foot) nearly extremely fine , the second and last clasps both very scarce to the regiment £1400-1600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals formed by the late John Darwent.

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Only 28 clasps for Fuentes D’Onor and 32 for Nivelle to the 1st Foot. At St Sebastian the regiment took part in the first and second assaults, having 5 officers and 81 men killed in the first, and 1 officer and 4 men killed in the second, the wounded amounting to 246 and 145 respectively. On 7 October 1813, it was the men of the Light Company of this regiment who crossed the Bidassoa to be the first British troops of the Allied army to enter France.

William Oswald was born in the Parish of Dunning, Perth, circa 1782, and enlisted into the 1st Foot at Perth on 9 November 1807, aged 26 years. He was discharged at Canterbury on 24 June 1817, in consequence of a compound fracture of the spine of the scapula from a gunshot wound received in action at Salamanca, 22 July, 1812, when the regiment had one officer and 23 men killed, and 7 officers and 149 men wounded. He died at his home in Dunning on 2 May 1864. Sold with copy discharge papers and other research.