Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Sergeant Benjamin Bertenshaw, 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards, who served at Corunna, on the Walcheren Expedition, and at Waterloo where he was wounded

Military General Service 1793-1814, 1 clasp, Corunna (B. Bertenshaw, Serjt. 1st Foot Gds.); Waterloo 1815 (Corp. Ben. Bartenshaw, 3rd Batt. Grenad. Guards.) fitted with replacement steel clip and ring suspension, lightly toned, the first with light edge bruising, very fine, the second with loose clip and several edge bruises, therefore good fine (2) £3600-4200

Benjamin Bertenshaw was born in the Parish of Droylesden, near Manchester, Lancashire, and enlisted into the 1st Foot Guards at Manchester on 10 January 1801, aged 26, a hatter by trade. He served with No. 1 Company, in the Corunna campaign of 1808-09, in the Walcheren Expedition later in the same year, and at Waterloo, where he served in Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas’ Company, Thomas himself being killed. Bertenshaw is confirmed as having been wounded at Waterloo in The Men of the 1st Foot Guards at Waterloo and Beyond by Barbara Chambers. He served a total of 21 years 21 days, including 2 years for Waterloo, and was discharged on 31 January 1820, ‘in consequence of rheumatism contracted during the Peninsula Campaigns’. He was admitted to a Chelsea Pension and died at Huddersfield on 21 May 1857, aged 83.

An interesting letter published in a local newspaper from his grandson, Private Benjamin Bertenshaw, serving with the 33rd Regiment before Sebastopol, says ‘Tell my grandfather that I think this campaign beats out all his.’

Sold with copied discharge papers and much other research.