Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Military General Service 1793-1814, 3 clasps, Corunna, Nivelle, Nive (S. Hyde, 1st Foot Gds.) minor edge bruising, otherwise better than very fine £1200-1400

Samuel Hyde was born at Leigh, Lancashire, on 18 September 1788. He attested twice for the First Foot Guards, firstly at Manchester on 30 July, and shortly afterwards in London on 5 August 1806, aged sixteen, a weaver by trade. At Corunna in 1809 he was in Lieutenant-Colonel H. F. Campbell’s Company, 3rd Battalion. When he re-attested for unlimited service on 26 May 1813, he was at Oporto and serving in Major-General Clinton’s Company. His discharge certificate, dated 15 February 1816, confirms that, at the time of his discharge, he was serving in Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert’s Company of the 1st Foot Guards, and that his discharge was in consequence of ‘being wounded thro’ the shoulder at Waterloo.’ At Waterloo he was in Lieutenant-Colonel Saltoun’s Light Company of the 3rd Battalion, which saw heroic service at the defence of Hougoumont Farm.

He died on 14 May 1876 and was buried in Manchester General Cemetery. His obituary in the Manchester Times read: ‘Hyde was reared as a hand-loom weaver, and enlisted in the Grenadier Guards at the age of 18, and subsequently served through the Peninsular Campaign, being actively engaged at Nive, Nivello, Corunna, Badajos, Roderigo, Toulouse, St Sebastian, Vittoria and Salamanca. He was wounded at the battle of Waterloo, after which he was pensioned off with a shilling a day, which was increased to 1s. 6d. about two years ago. The deceased veteran’s relations reside at Newton Heath.’

Sold with copied attestation and discharge papers, together with other research including a copied photographic image of Hyde wearing his two medals which is available online.