Waterloo Medal Roll
Roll of the Waterloo Medal. Copyright Museum of the Royal Mint.
Roll of the Waterloo Medal. Copyright Museum of the Royal Mint.
Roll of the Waterloo Medal. Copyright Museum of the Royal Mint.
This is the Waterloo Medal Roll, a handwritten volume that records the name of every soldier who was awarded a Waterloo Medal. After the Battle of Waterloo, for the first time ever, every soldier who fought was awarded a medal regardless of their rank or role.
After the Allied victory at the Battle of Waterloo and the final defeat of Napoleon, there was widespread rejoicing across Britain. The UK government, partly at the prompting of the Prince Regent, decided to issue a medal to every soldier who had been a part of the Waterloo campaign, inscribed with the name of the recipient. For almost the first time, common soldiers were being recognised as individuals by British society.
The issuing of this medal led to the creation of a unique document, the Waterloo Medal Roll, written from lists assembled by the regiments who fought in the Waterloo campaign. The document marks the first time in British history that we know the name of everyone who fought in a particular battle.
This volume, held in the Royal Mint Museum, has a set of supplementary pages at the end. Extending into the 1830s, they contain the names of additional troops to whom the medal was awarded some years after the battle for reasons relating to late claims or the loss of an original medal.
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- Originating Museum: Museum of the Royal Mint
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This object is in the collection of Royal Mint Museum