Description
A very good Waterloo Medal to 2nd Life Guards – famous for the Household Cavalry/Heavy Cavalry charge at Waterloo.
Medal named: Samuel Acroyd, 2nd Reg. Life Guards.
With copied service papers, which show that Acroyd/Ackroyd was a Farmer who came from Bradford. He served from 1799 to 1802 in the 31st (Huntingdon) Regt. (which was in Menorca in the Mediterranean at that time) and then transferred into the 2nd Life Guards. Served with them from 29th June 1802 to discharge on 21st Nov. 1816, in consequence of pains in his back and shoulders, apparent over many years and which prevented him from carrying out his military duties.
Given his dates of service, Acroyd probably served in the Peninsular War and in S. France (the regt. was e.g. at Vittoria in 1813 and Toulouse 1814) – a Muster Roll check would show this. He does not appear to have claimed – or lived to claim – the Military General Service Medal.
“[In 1815] the Household Cavalry comprised the First Life Guards and the Second Life Guards, although the Royal Horse Guards (the Blues) were brigaded with the Household Cavalry on operations. Both Life Guards regiments and the Blues sent two squadrons of about one hundred and fifty men each to join the the allied armies which were joining forces to oppose Napoleon. Lieut Col. Ferrier commanded the First Regiment, Lt-Col The Hon E P Lygon the Second Regiment and Lt-Col R. Hill, the Blues. They formed part of Lord Somerset’s Household Brigade at Waterloo and took part in the famous charge of the British Heavy Cavalry against Marshal D’Erlon’s infantry corps but they suffered a severe mauling by the French lancers and Cuirassiers when they counter attacked”.
The 2nd Life Guards suffered 155 casualties out of 231 engaged at Waterloo – a very high casualty rate for a cavalry regt. and reflecting the severity of their famous charge with the Heavy Cavalry.
Medal suspended from replacement light (silver?) bar and ring, with original iron clip. It is in very nice condition for this award – hardly any surface marking at all and toning black. Two very small edge knocks.
