Orders, Decorations and Medals

The important Peninsula and Waterloo pair awarded to Colour Sergeant George Baller, 95th Foot, Rifles, who was twice taken prisoner and escaped, fought with the Guerillas in Spain, and was wounded on no less than five separate occasions during his service, including both Quatre Bras and Waterloo

Military General Service 1793-1814, 4 clasps, Fuentes D’Onor, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca (G. Baller, Serjeant, 95th Foot, Rifles); Waterloo 1815 (Serj. George Baller, 1st Batt. 95th Reg. Foot) fitted with steel clip and ring suspension, the clip neatly re-fixed with solder, some very light contact marks, otherwise better than very fine (2) £10000-12000

Ex Ron Debenham Collection, DNW July 1995.

George Baller was born in Chewton Mendip, Wells, Somerset, circa 1787, a Sadler by trade. He enlisted in the 95th Foot at Dock, in Devon, on 16 May, 1809, at the age of 22 years. He served with the regiment for a total of 7 years and one month, with 2 years extra for Waterloo, and was discharged at Bourlon in France on the 25th of May, 1816.

In order to help obtain a Pension for Baller, Colonel Andrew Barnard, Commanding 1/95th, made the following endorsement on his Discharge document: ‘I certify that George Baller is a meritorious soldier, has been frequently wounded in the service and is deserving of the consideration of the Board - his right arm being disabled from wounds.’

George Baller made his own representations for a Pension to the Board of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea. His petition was published in the Rifle Brigade Chronicle of 1930, at which time the original document was still held in the Secretary’s Office at the Royal Hospital:

‘The humble petition of George Baller, late Color-Serjeant 1st Battn. 95th Regt. (now Rifle Brigade).

Sheweth, that your petitioner enlisted into the aforesaid Regiment in May 1809 for limited service; and embarked in the downs, on landing in Portugal he marched to join the Army under Sir Arthur Wellesley, which was effected the day after the Battle of Talavera. That petitioner was present and shared in the hardships and privations attending the retreat into Portugal.

That on the 24th July 1810 when on picquet on the Plains of Almeida were attacked by the advance Guard of the Army of General Messena, where petitioner was wounded in the left hand, and taken prisoner and escorted as such into Vittoria where he finally effected his escape from prison, and joined the Guerillas under the Command of Don. E. Mina, that in two or three days after joining them he was engaged with a party of French troops, escorting money and provisions, that he received a severe wound in the left leg from a Polish Lancer, and after some time succeeded in getting to Valencia, where he embarked for Gibraltar, where shortly afterwards he embarked again for Portugal where he joined the Regiment.

Your petitioner was present at the whole engagements with the French troops on their retreat from Portugal. He was present at the Battle of Fuentes-de-Honor, the sieges of, and storming Ciudad-Rodrigo and Bardojodz, the Battle of Salamanca, and the surrender of Madrid, that on the retreat of the British Army into Portugal he was sent by General Sir John Vandaleur to take charge of the baggage and stores, at Salamanca, when he was again taken prisoner, but promptly effected his escape again, and joined the Regiment, that from the extreme hardships and fatigues experienced by the petitioner that he was taken ill with the ague and rheumatism, and nearly lost the use of his limbs, when he was invalided to England for the recovery of his health, but owing to the expedition being sent out to Holland with the Prince of Orange, he volunteered his services to accompany the provisional Battalion of the 95th Regt., then formed at Shorncliffe.

On the 2nd February 1814 an attack was made upon the entrenched village of Merxen near Antwerp, he was wounded in the breast by a bayonet, and also received two musket wounds in the right arm, one through the wrist and the other above the elbow that he remained in the Netherlands until the Army was formed there under His Grace the Duke of Wellington, when the Army advanced on the 16th June 1815 to Quatre Bras, he received a severe gunshot wound in the right shoulder.

That on the 18th June at Waterloo he received another severe wound in the right leg, from which he was obliged to go to Antwerp Hospital where he remained ill a long time, that on joining the Army at Paris an order was issued that all limited service men might extend their service if they thought fit. Your petitioner offered his service but was rejected by the Surgeon in consequence of his wounds, followed by illness of every description and also his period of service nearly expired. He was then recommended as an object worthy of a pension, by Col. Sir A. Barnard and passed the Board at Chelsea on the 21st June 1816 at ninepence per diem.

That in 1819 when certain pensioners were called on to appear, that from having previously offered his services, and rejected, and from his extreme ill health, at the time the call took place, as appears from the annexed certificate from the Surgeon who attended me while labouring under my calamities, that your petitioner wishes to make known that not having a friend in the world to assist him, and not able to befriend himself and being embarrassed with a wife and large family, he knew not in what manner to apply for it again until meeting with your honour, petitioner begs to add the wounds and fatigues render him totally incapable to maintain himself and consequently leaves him in almost distressing and deplorable state. Your petitioner solely depends upon the universal interest of your honour, whose word alone, will reinstate him upon the books of British pensions for the relief of distressed body and mind, and for which, as in duty bound, your petitioner will ever pray.’

Baller is possibly the ‘Corporal Ballard’ referred to in the memoirs of Edward Costello as having been made up to Sergeant before the walls of Badajoz. One Sergeant Jackson, recently returned from hospital after an unexplained absence of two years, was taken to task by Major O’Hare who offered him the choice of losing his stripes or appearing before a court-martial for absence without leave. Not surprisingly Jackson took the former option. Turning round to the men, the Major remarked aloud, “By God, I will not have these brave fellows commanded by skulkers.” Then taking the sash and stripes that were cut off by the Sergeant-Major, he handed them to Corporal Ballard, observing at the same time, “You will not disgrace them.” This anecdote fits perfectly with the date of Corporal Baller’s promotion to Sergeant, which took place two years 320 days after his enlistment.