Full medal write up
WATERLOO 1815 ‘JOHN BRISON 6TH OR INNISKILLING DRAG.’ THE UNDERNEATH OF SUSPENSION WITH ENGRAVED MASONS MARK AND LODGE NUMBER ‘No 554’, SILVER RIBBON BUCKLE ENGRAVED ‘J.B.’
John Bryson was born in Dromore, Lisburn in County Down and enlisted into the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons at Lisburn on 18 July 1804. He served in Captain Hadden’s Troop during the Waterloo campaign, where his regiment formed part of the Union Brigade. Returning home with his regiment, Bryson continued to serve with the 6th until finally discharged at Manchester on 23 August 1825. His conduct on discharge noted as ‘irregular’.
The Union Brigade was composed of three regiments of heavy cavalry, one English (The Royal Dragoons), one Scottish (The Scots Greys) and one Irish (the Inniskillings), hence their brigade title. The charge of the Union Brigade broke the French at Waterloo. Two Eagles and 2,000 prisoners were taken, but at a heavy cost, the Inniskillings suffering particularly heavy casualties. Of the 396 Officers and men of the Regiment who took part in the battle, at the close of day they had lost 1 officer and 72 men killed, 5 officers, including their Colonel, Lt. Colonel and 2 Captains and 111 rank and file wounded, a casualty rate of 55%.
Condition NVF, fitted with contemporary bar suspension, the underneath with a finely engraved Masons mark to one side and Masonic Lodge number ‘No 554’, to the other. A previous owner believed this number was for St John’s Lodge, Lanark, Ontario, Canada, which existed between 1847 and 1872. A fine silver buckle to the ribbon is engraved with Brison’s initials ‘J.B.’.
Sold with copy service papers and copy original medal roll, the later which confirms the spelling ‘Brison’.