Orders, Decorations and Medals

The 88th Foot Order of Merit awarded to Sergeant James Bowmer who was wounded in four different actions and taken prisoner at Buenos Ayres

88th Foot Order of Merit 1818, 1st Class Cross for 12 General Actions, 44mm, the reverse inscribed ‘Serjt. James Bowmer,’ fitted with straight bar suspension but this not inscribed ‘Peninsula’ as usual and possibly a later replacement, good very fine £2400-2800

Ex Jourdain and McPeake Collections.

Approximately 75 1st Class Orders of Merit awarded to soldiers of the 88th Foot, including 15 sergeants.

James Bowmer/Bomer was born in the Parish of St Aulmonds, Derby, and enlisted into the 88th Foot at Seaford, Sussex, on 22 April 1805, aged 26 years, a Shoemaker by trade. He was discharged on 16 February 1819 in consequence of a reduction in the Establishment of the Regiment after serving 13 years 301 days. It is noted on his discharge papers that he ‘has the cicatrices [scars] of a severe wound in left thigh, and slight wounds of both legs, right arm and hand received at Buenos Ayres, Talavera, Badajoz and Vittoria.’

The 88th suffered 240 casualties at Buenos Ayres in 1807 and the regiment was forced to surrender. The regiment suffered heavy casualties in the Peninsula, especially at Talavera (110), Busaco (132), Fuentes D’Onor (68), Ciudad Rodrigo (63), Badajoz (250), Salamanca (127), Vittoria (295), Orthes (265) and Toulouse (85). Sold with copied discharge papers.