Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria. Including a superb collection of medals to the King’s German Legion, Police Medals from the Collection of John Tamplin and a small collection of medals to the Irish Guards

A fine Peninsula and Waterloo group of four to Driver-Corporal Henry Schnuphase, King’s German Artillery, orderly to Sir Julius Hartmann and later groom to the King of Hannover, awarded the Guelphic Medal for services in the Peninsula and at Waterloo

Military General Service 1793-1814, 7 clasps, Talavera, Busaco, Albuhera, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, St Sebastian (Henry Schnuphase, Corpl. Arty. K.G.L.) one rivet soldered; Waterloo 1815 (D.Corpl. H. Schnuphase, King’s Ge[rman Art]illery) fitted with replacement clip and ring suspension, naming partly illegible through edge bruising; Hannoverian Medal for Volunteers of the K.G.L. 1814; Hannoverian Medal for Civil Merit, Ernst August, silver (Friedrich Schnuphase 1841) impressed naming; together with City of Hannover Jubilee Medal 1815-65, copper, contact marks, otherwise nearly very fine and better (5) £1800-2200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, An Important Collection of Medals to The King's German Legion, the Property of a Gentleman.

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Collection

See Colour Plate I.

Frederick Schnuphase was awarded the Guelphic Medal in the 1821 List:

‘Was for a long time Orderly to the present Lieutenant General Sir Julius Hartmann, when the latter, as a Staff Officer in Portugal, Spain and France, commanded large groups of artillery of the English Army. He proved himself to be brave, zealous and reliable.

In the Battle of Vittoria, when sent to an English battery with an order, his horse was killed on the way; without delay he seized a wandering mule and so fulfilled his task. Also during the Battle of Waterloo a horse was killed under him; promptly he sought out another on the battlefield and reported back to his commander.’ (Ref Von Wissel p170)

Driver Corporal Henry Schnuphase enlisted on 25 April 1806 in the 1st company King’s German Artillery. He was attached to the 2nd company from April 1809, and to the 4th company from 1812. From October 1813 he is shown in the Muster Rolls as “on command”, and in the 1815 rolls he is again shown in the 2nd company “with Sir J. Hartmann.” He was discharged on 24 February 1816, and was later Groom to the King of Hannover, being shown as such in the State Handbook of 1850. He was still alive in 1865 and took part in the Waterloo Jubilee celebrations.