MILITARY GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL

THE VERY RARE 95TH RIFLES MGS 1793 TO RIFLEMEN WHO WAS SEVERELY WOUNDED DURING THE EPIC RIFLES ACTION AT VERA BRIDGE, 31 AUGUST 1813. HERE CAPTAIN CADOUX COMMANDED APPROXIMATELY 100 RIFLEMEN, WHO THOUGH VASTLY OUTNUMBERED, HELD THE IMPORTANT BRIDGE AGAINST REPEATED FRENCH ASSAULTS UNTIL LOW ON AMMUNITION WERE FORCED TO GIVE. VERY SEVERE CASUALTIES WERE INFLICTED UPON THE FRENCH, INCLUDING THE LOSS OF THEIR COMMANDER GENERAL WHO WAS KILLED. THE 2/95TH LOST NO LESS THAN 61 RIFLEMEN KILLED OR WOUNDED INCLUDING CAPTAIN CADOUX WHO WAS KILLED

MILITARY GENERAL SERVICE 1793 CLASP PYRENEES, ‘J. TREDWAY, 95TH FOOT RIFLES’.

John Treadway, a baker by trade, was born in Hanwell, Middlesex, circa 1794 and enlisted into the Surrey Militia in 1808. On 4 April 1809 he volunteered for service with the 1st 95th Rifles and first appears on the musters of the 2nd Battalion on 25 April 1809. He first saw active service in the peninsular from March 1812but was invalided to England on 14 December 1812. He was back with the 95th in Spain in July 1813, taking part in the actions in the Pyrenees and on 31 August that year, was present at the action of Vera Bridge. Severely wounded during the latter action, he was not invalided back to England until March 1814, this presumably due to the nature of his wounds. Treadway was finally discharged from the army in June 1815 and was admitted as an Out-Pensioner on 20 June with a pension of one shilling.

Treadway’s service papers note he was discharged in consequence of ‘An amputation of shoulder on account of a wound received at Vera Bridge, 31 August, 1813’.

Treadway died in Kensington in 1859, aged 77.

Medal spelt Treadway on discharge papers, Tredway on medal and rolls. A unique name either way.

THE BRIDGE AT VERA

“On the very day that San Sebastian fell to the Allies, 31 August 1813, Marshal Soult made one last desperate attempt to relieve the place. The attempt ended in failure, however, and the relieving troops were ordered to withdraw. Consequently, 10,000 French troops under Vandermaesen pulled back towards Vera and the fords there across the Bidassoa river which they had crossed that morning. Unfortunately for them, the level of the river had risen dramatically and the only way across the river was via the bridge which spanned the Bidassoa at Vera.

However, as they approached it they found their way blocked by Captain Daniel Cadoux and between 80 and 100 men of the 2/95th Rifles. The French were left with little choice but to attack Cadoux and his small party of men whom the French thought would take little brushing aside. In the event, Cadoux held on for two hours, inflicting 231 casualties on the French including Vandermaesen himself, who was killed. Whilst the fighting was in progress Cadoux sent repeated requests to General Skerrett, acting commander of the Light Division and who was aware of the action, but he did nothing, otherwise the whole of the French division might have been forced to surrender. No support was given to Cadoux and finally the 95th were forced to give way. The brave Cadoux was killed along with sixteen men while all three surviving officers and 43 of his men were wounded. With the withdrawal of the 95th the French were able to gain the safety of the opposite side of the river.”

https://www.pns1814.co.uk/Vera.htm

One of only 2 single clap Pyrenees to the 95th and after a search of various databases, the only other 95th Vera Bridge casualty located was a Waterloo to Lieutenant Cochran which was sold by Noonans in 2019.

Condition VF, some contact wear. Sold with a fair quantity of copied research including Service papers, muster transcript etc and much on the action at Vera.

A very rare medal to a casualty of this epic 95th Rifles action.