Lot 4359

Description

Military General Service Medal 1793-1814, (VR) - nine bars - Fuentes D'Onor, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthes, Toulouse. Joshua White, 5th Foot. Impressed in serif capitals. A few very minor edge nicks, original ribbon, lovely toning and nearly extremely fine, with original cardboard box of issue and as such rare.

Joshua White, labourer, served with the 5th Foot (Northumberland Foot) from 5 March 1808 to 24 March 1815 and then, while serving at Quebec in Canada, he transferred to the 103rd Regiment of Foot. Only 39 bars for Fuentes D'Onor awarded to 5th Foot and is the scarcest bar to the unit. The Duke of Wellington referred to the 5th Foot as 'The ever-fighting, often tired, but never-failing fifth'. They were also referred to as 'Wellington's Bodyguard' because he always liked them to be close at hand. Another of the unit's nicknames is 'The Fighting Fifth'. Together with a photocopy of Joshua White's Discharge Certificate from the 103rd Regiment of Foot and other research material on the 5th Foot.