The Royal Hospital Chelsea boasts an impressive archive with around 18000 documents and photographs all under the careful custodianship of Heritage Manager John Rochester. The ‘last survivors’ photograph depicts the last resident survivors at the Royal Hospital on the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo in 1880. Inspired by the photograph, it seemed appropriate to replicate the original with current Chelsea Pensioners, all of whom served in the Second World War. Keen historian and Chelsea Pensioner Bob Leece, researched the military careers of the ‘last survivors’ of Waterloo and produced a short history of the men in the photograph.
WATERLOO (TOP PHOTO)
1. John Mckay
John served in the 2nd Battalion of the 42nd Regiment (of Foot) The Black Watch. He fought in the Peninsula Campaign, and was wounded either at the siege of Badajos or at the taking of the City in April 1812.
2. Robert Newton
Robert served with the 2nd Battalion of the 34th Foot, Cumberland Regiment and the 54th Foot, The West Norfolk Regiment. His Regiment held Wellington’s right flank at the Battle of Waterloo, and went on to capture the town of Cambrai in the aftermath of the Battle.
3. Naish Hanney
Naish served with the 7th Queen’s Own Hussars, which was successful in two encounters against French cavalry during the ‘Retreat to Corunna’. He also served in the British Isles from 1808 to 1812.
4. Benjamin Bumstead
Benjamin served in the 2nd Battalion, 73rd Foot – Perthshire Regiment, which was part of ‘Wellington’s Army in Belgium’ in 1815. During the Battle of Waterloo the 73rd Foot formed a square that was heavily bombarded by artillery and charged eleven times by French Cavalry but did not break.
5. Sampson Webb
Sampson served with the 3rd Foot Guards (now the Scots’ Guards). In 1815 he was part of the 2nd Guard Brigade, which participated in the defence of the key position of Hougoumont farmhouse. Defenders at Hougoumont sustained over 1,000 casualties.
WORLD WAR TWO (BOTTOM IMAGE)
1. Frank Mouqué
Frank enlisted with the Royal Engineers in 1943, staying with them until 1952. He landed at Sword Beach where he cleared mines for the advancing troops. He then took part in the advance to relieve the Parachute troops at Pegasus Bridge.
2. Ernest Boyden
Ernest enlisted at Sheffield into the General Service Corps in 1943 and transferred to the Royal Horse Artillery as a Signaller. He landed at Sword Beach on 8th June 1944 with the 4th Armoured Brigade in support of the 51st Highland Division.
3. Alan Lee
Joining the Army at the age of just 14, Alan served with the Welch Regiment from 1938 and the Army Air Corps’ Parachute Battalion from 1944, and was deployed to North Western Europe on Christmas Day 1944.
4. James George
James joined the Army in 1942 and was posted to the Gordon Highlanders. He took part in the North African campaign, fighting at El- Alamein and was deployed to Italy and Sicily in 1943, the first Allied landings in Continental Europe.
5. Robert Leece
Bob enlisted in Liverpool in 1943 joining the King’s Regiment. He served as part of the King’s Regiment, the Lincolnshire Regiment, returning to the King’s Regiment and finally as part of the Royal Army Service Corps’ Army Fire Service. He was taken as a Prisoner of War on 7th March 1945 and released on the 10th May.
