Waterloo Medal

It was announced in the London Gazette on 23rd April 1816 that in a Memorandum from Horse Guards on 10th March 1816 by the Prince Regent that The Waterloo Medal was conferred upon every Officer, Non-Commissioned Officer and Soldier of the British Army (including members of the King's German Legion) who took part in one or more of the following battles: Battle of Ligny (16 June 1815), Battle of Quatre Bras (16 June 1815), and the Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815).

The medal was issued in 1816–17 to every soldier present at one or more of these battles. They were also credited with two years extra service and pay, to count for all purposes. The soldier was known and described as a 'Waterloo Man'. The obverse of this medal bears the effigy of the Prince Regent with the inscription 'GEORGE P. REGENT', while the reverse depicts the seated figure of Victory with the words 'WELLINGTON' and 'WATERLOO' below and the date 'JUNE 18 1815'. The ribbon passes through a large iron ring on top of the medal. The medal is made of silver and is 37mm wide. A total of 39,000 were awarded.

Waterloo Medal (Brunswick)

The Waterloo Medal was a campaign medal of the Duchy of Brunswick. The medal was awarded to troops and officers from Brunswick who participated in the Battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo.

Appearance

The medal is round and made of bronze from captured French cannons, medals for officers were gilded. The medal is 1 ⁷⁄₂₀ inches (34 mm) in diameter. The obverse depicts, in a left facing profile, the fallen Duke of Brunswick, Frederick William. Around the edge is the inscription, in German Script, FRIEDRICH WILHELM HERZOG. The reverse of the medal bears the date 1815 in the centre, surrounded by a wreath of oak and laurels. Around the outside of the wreath is the inscription, Braunschweig Seinen Kriegern (Brunswick to her Warriors) above, and Quatrebras und Waterloo below. The medal is suspended from a steel clip and ring attached to a ribbon 1 ¹⁄₂ inches (38 mm) wide. The ribbon is yellow with blue edge stripes ³⁄₈ inch (9.5 mm) wide.

Other Waterloo Medals

Five nations of Seventh Coalition struck medals for soldiers who took part in the campaign:

Waterloo Medal (Nassau)

The Waterloo Medal of the Duchy of Nassau was established by Frederick Augustus, Duke of Nassau on 23 December 1815.

Other Waterloo Medals

Five nations of Seventh Coalition struck medals for soldiers who took part in the campaign:

Notes

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Royal Numismatic Society (1869). "The Hanoverian Waterloo Medal". The Numismatic Chronicle 9. Royal Numismatic Society (Great Britain).