The Waterloo Medal

Waterloo Medal awarded to Ensign John Ditmas

The Waterloo Medal awarded to Ensign John Ditmas of the 1st Battalion 27th Regiment of Foot.

The obverse of the medal has a profile of the Prince Regent and on the reverse shows a seated figure of Victory below which is inscribed 'WATERLOO' and 'JUNE18TH 1815'. The medal hangs from the underside of a small frame made from wood taken from York Minster following a fire on 20 May 1840.

This medal was presented to the Inniskillings Museum by the great granddaughter of Ensign Ditmas.

The Waterloo Medal was the first campaign medal issued by the British Government and was awarded to all soldiers who took part in the Battles of Ligny (16 June 1815), Quatre Bras (16 June 1815) and Waterloo (18 June 1815). It was also the first medal awarded to the next of kin of those killed in the battles. The Military General Service Medal (MGSM) was not issued until 1848.