Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An important Medical C.B. group of three awarded to Inspector-General Stephen Woolriche, Medical Department

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, C.B. (Military) Companion’s, breast badge, 22 carat gold and enamels, Georgian hallmarks, date letter partially obscured but probably 1815, maker’s mark ‘IN’ for John Northam, with narrow gold swivel-ring bar suspension and gold ribbon buckle; Military General Service 1793-1814, 2 clasps, Vittoria, Pyrenees (S. Woolriche, Medl. Charge of 7th Divn.); Waterloo 1815 (Stephen Woolrich, Dep. Insp. of Hosp. Medical Staff.) fitted with replacement silver clip and ring suspension, some minor chips to the first, light edge bruising and contact marks to the last two, otherwise very fine and better (3) £8,000-£10,000

Stephen Woolriche was born on 3 June 1770, and was a surgeon’s mate when he was gazetted as Regimental Surgeon to the 111th Foot on 30 May 1794. From March 1798 to 22 May 1806, he was on half-pay, when he exchanged on full-pay to the 4th Foot. He was appointed Surgeon on the Staff on 18 June 1807, and as Deputy Inspector of Hospitals on 26 May 1814; Brevet Inspector of Hospitals, 9 December 1823; retired half-pay, 25 May 1828; Inspector-General of Hospitals, 22 July 1830. Woolriche was one of the first seven officers of the Army Medical Department upon whom the C.B. (Military) was conferred for the first time in 1850. He died at Quatford Lodge, Bridgenorth, Shropshire, on 29 February 1856.

He served in Holland in 1799 under Sir Ralph Abercromby and the Duke of York; with the expedition to Copenhagen in 1807; and, with the rank of staff-surgeon, was principal medical officer with the reserve, commanded by Sir Arthur Wellesley at the battle of Kioge; after four years colonial service, he joined the Peninsula army, with which he served from the battle of Salamanca until the end of the war; and was present in charge of the 7th division of the army, commanded by Lord Dalhousie, at the battles of Vittoria and the Pyrenees, for which he has received the War Medal with two Clasps. At the renewal the of war in 1815, he joined the army at Brussels, under the command of the Duke of Wellington, and was appointed to take charge of field-duties in the event of a general action; in this responsible situation he was present at the battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo, where he was occupied several days and nights before the field was cleared of the numerous wounded, including British, Belgian, French, &c. &c. In 1827 he embarked for Portugal with the army, under Sir William Clinton, as chief of the medical department on that service. (Hart’s Army List 1856 refers).