Waterloo Medal

[JonFish]

Hi guys. I am primarily a collector of German political awards, however I have wanted a Waterloo medal for a while, and when this one came up recently I had to have it. I love pieces like this that have been through the wars, literally, but in the case of this one probably worn with pride by the man’s widow. 
I know exactly who to go to with researching my usual items, but no idea on this. I found the roll copies and found the man, listed as a Sergeant but his medal states Corporal? 
I would appreciate some help in composing a resume on this guy that I can place with the medal and ensure his story sits with the medal for all future going forwards. Medal is engraved Corp Allen COLQUHOUN. 3rd Batt. Grenad. Guards. 
doesnt appear re engraved to me but Im sure those of you who know these better than l will be able to comment. 
thank you!

[JonFish]

A couple of other pictures I just shot. 

[TracA]

Hello JonFish,

 

A very nice medal, but obviously heavily modified as it is missing the original steel clip, ring, riband, and has been altered with a pin back for wear.

 

I am by no means an expert on the Waterloo Medal, but I do own two and have done a bit of research. 

 

Your medal does not appear to be a “curly hair” or “deep rutted neck” or (as I call it) a “Wonder Bra Victory” fake. The impression on the rim matches the style of my two medals (both to the 92nd Regiment of Foot Highlanders).

 

Regarding sources, you have obviously found MINT 16/112/22 for the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards, Lt. Col. Stanhope’s Company. As you state, your man is listed as a Sergeant. I note that this document does not list any Corporals for this Company, and herein lies an interesting discrepancy between this document and The Waterloo Medal Roll (The Naval and Military Press, 1992). Unlike MINT 16/112/22, which lists eight Sergeants (with Richard Martin appearing to hold a non-NCO/enlisted rank) and zero Corporals, The Waterloo Medal Roll lists five Sergeants (Richard Martin among them) and four Corporals. The Corporals are your man, Grant, Lee, and Allison. Since your medal is named to Allen Colquhoun as a Corporal and I would find it very odd that a Company would have zero Corporals, I postulate that whomever wrote the list of men for the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards, Lt. Col. Stanhope’s Company (now MINT 16/112/22) failed to note where the list of Corporals began.

 

I went to the website for The National Archives UK and entered your man’s name and sadly found nothing from the Waterloo period. I also searched the London Gazette from 1/1/1813 to 12/31/1816 and did not find your man.

 

Do you have access to Ancestry or Find My Past or Fold3? I only have access to Ancestry when I am logged into a special account at a university library (I am currently at home). If you have access to Ancestry (for example) you could enter your man’s name, keyword “Waterloo”, and dates such as 1813, 1814, 1815. You might then get returns for UK Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949 for the Grenadier Guards during Waterloo or even the Napoleonic Wars. If the latter, you might find that your man was alive long enough to make claim for the Military General Service Medal (established by a General Order on June 1 of 1847) and even be eligible for various clasps. 

 

You might also get returns for Muster Books and Pay Lists for the Grenadier Guards from the year of Waterloo. These latter, if you can locate them, might have a handwritten ‘W’ in red on the pay line belonging to your man during the pay period encompassing Waterloo. That would indicate that your man was wounded. 

 

Through Ancestry (or Fold3 I assume, to which I do not have access) you might also hit upon UK Royal Hospital Chelsea Returns of Payment of Army and Other Pensions, where you might find your man lived long enough to claim a pension.

 

This is about as far as my research skills related to the recipients of British Medals takes me.

 

I hope you find some value in my reply.

 

All the best,

 

Tracy

[TracA]

JonFish,

 

I forgot to mention that I looked up your man in the Noonans Mayfair Medal Roll for the MGSM (https://www.noonans.co.uk/resources/resources/medal-rolls/) and did not find him. I doubt that this database is complete. I also looked him up in the OMSA database of recorded Waterloo Medals (https://www.omsa.org/MedalRolls/ExtWaterloo.php) and did not find him. Again, this database is not complete.

 

Tracy