Waterloo,
Henry Davis, 3rd. Battn. Grenad. Guards,
Wounded at Waterloo.
Original clip&ring suspension
Roll confirms Henry Davis, Lieut Colonel Jones Coy.
From ‘Men of the 1st foot Guards’
Henry Davies /Davis
Place of Birth, Devon Hennick, enl. 1805 Exeter, aged 21 died 11 July, 1817, in Regimental Hospital, Cambrai, France. Lt/Col Jones company 3rd. Battalion, Spain 1808-09 Corunna, Walcheren 1809, Waterloo,wounded.
3rd Battalion was then moved up nearer the ridge of Hougoumont and subjected to concentrated fire from Napoleon’s artillery. ‘Then we were ordered to lie down and so fatigued were we that some of my men were snoring, fast asleep’. The French Imperial Guard had been retained fresh and in reserve all day; edged forward by Napoleon for the final blow which the elite of the Grand Army, so far uncommitted, was intended to make decisive at about seven o’clock in the evening. ‘When I was outside the wood at Hougoumont before the action began,’ said Lord Saltoun to one of Wellington’s staff, ‘I saw a column of men, as far as I can guess, about 5,000 to 6,000, go into the hollow opposite; I have kept my eye on this spot all day, and have never seen them come out yet’. And Wellington brought up his glass and called ‘By God, he is right. They are coming out now!’
‘Later up came the brave Duke calling out to us “Now Guards at them again”. And what did we behold? A large mass creeping up the incline in serried Battalions with huge fur Grenadier caps screaming out, “Vive l’Empereur en avant en avant.” We formed a line of four deep, the first rank kneeling, the second also firing, the third and the fourth loading and handing on to the front and kept up such a continued fire into mass of heaped up Grenadiers, who were also taken in flank by General Adam’s brigade and artillery, so that none ever reached the top’.
As the French Grenadiers breasted the ridge the line of Guards stood up; the accurately controlled volleys and the irresistible charge that followed ended twenty years’ of war and destroyed the Empire which Napoleon, with so much violence and suffering had achieved.
