Military General Service 1793-1814, 5 clasps, Vimiera, Talavera, Ciudad Rodrigo, Vittoria, Pyrenees (Thos. Clements, Serjt., 40th Foot) nearly extremely fine £1000-1200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Peninsula War Medals from the Collection of the late A.L.T. Mullen.

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Collection

Ex Cheylesmore Collection 1930; Speak Collection 1935.

Thomas Clements was born in the Parish of St. John’s Glastonbury, Somerset. A Labourer by occupation, he entered the 40th Foot on 22 July 1799. Clement’s first overseas service was in Egypt followed by service in the Peninsular War. He was discharged to a pension on 22 October 1816 suffering from a ‘pulmonary affection contracted in Spain’. Despite his affection or indeed affliction, he was apparently fit enough to return to the Colours of the 3rd Royal Veteran Battalion on 21 November 1819, serving with them in Plymouth and Ireland until 22 June 1821. He died in London on 1 October 1851. Both the Foster and Mullen rolls confirm the above clasps with the addition of that for ‘Egypt’. In the 40th Foot Muster Rolls Clements is confirmed present in Captain Danser’s Company for that campaign. On the medal roll there is a M.G.S. 1 clasp, Egypt listed to a ‘Thos. Chivers, 40th Foot’, and the medal is known (Spink 1987) but no man of that name exists on the 40th Foot Muster Rolls. It is therefore possible that Clements was awarded a second M.G.S. with a single clasp for Egypt, this further compounded with the medal being named in error. Sold with copied discharge papers and research.