NykleD

On 2017-6-18 at 15:06, Trooper_D said:

I suspect the latter as we know from the National Archive record found by NykleD (in post #9) that Portegies was in the 2nd Regiment of Hussars King's German Legion. However it covers his service from 1800-1804 so his presence at Waterloo isn't yet sourced other than the reference in the book NykleD found, it would seem.

Indeed it's hard to find good evidence of the 2nd Hussars KGL being at Waterloo. Or perhaps they were near Waterloo but didn't really participate in the battle. After all, Portegies received the Waterloo medal, and according to his military record he left the army on 25 June 1815 (a week after the battle of Waterloo) "at the request from ill state of health".

I'm sorry for bumping this thread, but I was quite amazed to see this medal here. 

It so happens I was reading an old book about Friesian (=Dutch province Friesland) history the other day. There's a small story in it about an old Waterloo veteran Gerhardus Portegies who was then living in the city of Bolsward.

He was born in 1779, only a few kilometers from where I'm living now, and there's also a record on him in the National Archives in Kew:

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C13321390

So how interesting to see his medal turned up! I've done some more research on this person, even found a letter in which he writes about his time in Spain during the Peninsular War.

It would be great if somehow I could get in touch with the current owner and perhaps get a better picture of the name Portegies on the medal.