Description
A very fine 95th Foot MGSM Waterloo medal pair to Serjeant Thomas McDermid 95th Regiment of Foot.
Thomas McDermid was a 23 year old native of Gortheen, Boyle, Sligo, Ireland when he attested into the Duke of Wellington’s 95th Regiment of Foot 14th March 1911. McDermid served a total of 12 years 104 days plus 2 years counting for the Battle of Waterloo giving a total service toward pension of 14 year 104 days. He served 2 years 73 days as a Private, 2 years 335 days as Corporal and 7 years 60 days as Serjeant. He is on the Chelsea Pension roll on which his death is recorded 18th December 1857.
Military General Service Medal, 8 clasps – Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse – ( T. MCDERMID. SERJT. 95TH FOOT. ) and Waterloo Medal ( THOMAS MCDERMID. 1ST. BATT. 95TH REGT: FOOT. ).
The chronology of the 8 clasps reveals the extremely arduous years of McDermid’s service in the Peninsula prior to Waterloo, as seen in the following list of clasps with dates – Badajoz (16th March to 6th April 1812), Salamanca (22nd July 1812), Vittoria ( 21st June 1813), Pyrenees (25th July to 2nd August 1813), Nivelle (10th November 1813), Nive (9th to 13th December 1913), Orthers (27th February 1814), Toulouse (10th April 1814). At the Battle of Waterloo McDermid served as a Corporal in Captain Henry Lee’s Company. Captain Henry Lee served at Corunna, the Coa, Bussaco, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Bidassoa, Nivelle, Nie, Toulouse and Waterloo as recorded in the fascinating book The American Sharpe: The Adventures of an American Officer of the 95th Foot,
The 95th were held in high esteem by the French and Allies alike. One officer, Major John Blackiston of the Portuguese Cacadores said: “I never saw such skirmishers as the 95th. They could do the work much better and with infinitely less loss than any of our best light troops. They possessed an individual boldness, a mutual understanding, and a quickness of eye in taking advantage of the ground, which, taken altogether I never saw equalled. They were as much superior to the French Voltigeurs as the latter were to our skirmishers in general”
Waterloo Medal to Sjt Thomas McDermid, 95th Foot
The Waterloo medal shows signs of wear and rubbing to the naming as is usually seen on Waterloo medals, the attractive hinged brooch suspender having been fitted probably 200 years ago (note the even patina). It has an edge knock at 8 O’clock on the obverse, as seen in the images. The MGSM in in excellent condition commensurate with the fact that he would have only been in possession of this MGSM for less than 10 years as he died in 1857, . He would have worn the Waterloo medal for approximately 30 years prior to actually receiving his MGSM. The Waterloo has been suspended from an attractive bespoke, hinged bracket. Both medals have a beautiful patina. This is a very fine Peninsula Wars Napoleonic Era medal pair.
Medal roll confirms clasps.
Provenance – Glendinnings July 1955.
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