Description
A Superb Waterloo Medal 1815, Awarded to Corporal Peter Baylis, 3rd Battalion 1st Foot Guards, (Corp. Peter Baylis Grenadier Guards), edge knock, lightly toned very fine.
Peter Baylis was born in Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire he enlisted on the 28th of December 1811 a transfer from the Warwickshire militia who, at the time were at Birr in Ireland, he was 25 years old and a Malster by trade.
Served with lieutenant Colonel D’Oyle’s Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Foot Guards at Waterloo. He was discharged as a Serjeant on the 15th of March 1817 when the Regiment was reduced after the War. – at the time he was serving with the 2nd Battalion in Lieutenant Colonel Burgh’s company.
The 3rd Battalion 1st Foot Guards lost 3 officers and 81 men killed (including Ensign Purdoe, who was in Peter Baylis’s Company), and 6 officers and 245 men wounded, approximately 59% the highest loss of all Guards battalions.
“When the French 105th Regiment advanced up the low ground, their canon at the same time raked us with grape, canister and horse-nails: and our line was so shattered that I feared they could not stand; in fact, I was for a moment really afraid they would give way; and if we had given way it would have gone hard with the whole line…..Major Gunthorpe, was in the front face of the square, in the hottest part of the contest; our loss at this time was tremendous. It was at this juncture that I picked up Ensign Purdoe’s coat, which was covered with his blood, lying on a dead horse. The Ensign belonged to our Battalion; he was killed and stripped by the plunderers during some of our maneuvers. I stepped about 25 paces before the line and waved the coat cheering the men.”
Ex Glendinning’s October 1913 sold for £1-1-0.
Sold with copy Service Papers.
