Union Brigade Surgeon At Waterloo

6th Or Inniskilling Dragoons

Waterloo Medal for sale to Surgeon John Bolton, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons. The Waterloo Medal complete with horizontal silver suspension and ribbon. The rim with clear impressed name and unit, 'SURGEON JOHN BOLTON, 6TH OR INNISKILLING DRAG.'

Condition report:Excellent overall condition, with  original steel clip along with a horizontal silver suspension. The Waterloo Medal is free from any major edge knocks, with a close to perfect rim, and clear impressed naming and details. The obverse has signs of a horizontal brooch pin being in place (now gone). It is known that members of cavalry regiments had pins placed to the medal disc to hold the medal firm to their tunic whilst on horseback. Since the clip and horizontal suspension look contemporary, this may have occurred to the Bolton medal. The medal has an older ribbon showing some use.

The Waterloo Medal sale includes copies from the National Archives showing Surgeon John Bolton as the Surgeon for the 6th or Inniskilling Dragoons at the time of Waterloo. The papers also show that Bolton remained the Surgeon for the regiment at least until 1824.

Note: the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons (Irish), together with the Scots Greys (Scottish) and the Royal Dragoons (English), formed the Union Brigade, and made the infamous 'charge,' shattering the advancing French columns at The Battle of Waterloo. Turning the battle in favour of an Allied victory was not without significant loss: the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons was reduced by 55%: a total of 217 officers and men (killed and wounded).

Additional notes: A particularly rare rank to obtain. There was just one Surgeon (John Bolton) with the 6th or Inniskilling Dragoons, along with one assistant. Compare this with ten Captains and 15 Lieutenants to the same regiment.

Additional information regarding Surgeon John Bolton: Former Housemaster, Richard Peaver, of Greham's School, Holt, Norfolk, has contacted us to state the following, Surgeon John Bolton, attd. 6th Inniskilling Dragoons was a former pupil of Gresham's School, Holt, in Norfolk.  He entered the school in 1776 and left in 1781.