Orders, Decorations and Medals

Military General Service 1793-1814, 4 clasps, Fuentes D’Onor, St. Sebastian, Nivelle, Nive (John Hickson, 85th Foot) with original ribbon, edge bruising and light nicks, otherwise good very fine £1400-1600

John Hickson was born in the Parish of Grage, near Corne, in the County of Lancaster, and was a hatter aged 20 when he enlisted into the 85th Foot on 5 April 1809, just in time to participate in the Walcheren Expedition in July of that year. When the regiment went to the Peninsula in January 1811, it was in a very weakened state and suffered very heavy casualties at Fuentes d’Onor and at the taking of Fort St Christobal, in May and June 1811. The 85th were so depleted that of the 266 men who returned to England shortly afterwards, ony 90 were deemed to be ‘effective’. The rebuilt regiment returned to France in 1813, where they took part in the siege of St Sebastian and the battles of Nivelle and Nive. In 1814 the 85th went to North America and saw fighting at Bladensberg, Baltimore and New Orleans. Hickson was severely wounded by a gunshot to his jaw in one of these actions in America and consequently transferred to the 3rd Garrison Battalion in May 1815. He was finally discharged at Chatham on 4 April 1816, having served exactly 7 years, and was one of only 14 men of the 85th to survive to claim the medal with the maximum of four clasps earned by the regiment. Sold with copy discharge papers, muster rolls and other research.