Did This Physician Heal Himself?

[Guest Rick Research]

Surgeon J. J. Beyer of Brunswick Oels Light Infantry was one of 27 recipients of the British Military General Service Medal with bar "Vittoria."

Just passed through on the latest circuit of the Traveling Circus. All additional information much appreciated since I am only the Epson-Operator.

There were 10,244 bars awarded for Vittoria (21 June 1813) which rather puts the miniscule Brunswick presence in perspectie, doesn't it?

[Guest Rick Research]

Given some of the other medals which shall be seen here (the ones that are going to take me MUCH longer to type out ) this SINGLE bar makes me wonder if Surgeon beyer was himself wounded, or was not involved in subsequent battles because he'd been sent back to care for wounded.

[Guest Rick Research]

Ho ho-- kudos to Ralph, who just found this sold in the Payne Collection, 1911.

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtop...st&p=352014

[Guest Rick Research]

200th anniversary of Vittoria

21 June 1813-2013

[Ulsterman]

This medal is driving me insane! I have looked and looked for this man and can not find him. There were fewer than 100 Brunswick officers with the "Owls" in Spain and a great many, those who were not British, ended up at Waterloo. They were hard core Brunswick loyalists. The Oels, or "Owls" as the Brits called them, were 12 companies strong, but their rifle companies were detached and used as permanent skirmishes in other British or mixed Divisions.

At Vittoria, 9 center companies were assigned as a weak battalion to the 7th Division, which attacked the center of the vastly over stretched French lines moving down from the steep heights towards the bridge crossing the river. the 7th was barely engaged in the battle and Surgeon Breyer was almost certainly attached to the Divisional hospital and perhaps that is why he had no other clasps, as usually the Brunswickers had 3-5 surgeons. There is a chance he was not German at all, as many other British and other foreigners served in the battalion. They were notorious for desertion, but the hard core of Brunswickers made up an elite and very tough fighting unit.

[Ulsterman]

Alas! having just obtained the Brunswick officer rolls for waterloo, Beyer was not there. .......at least not as a Brunswicker.