The Ensign's Story

By John Grant Jackson

The order is shouted down the line, `Prepare to receive cavalry.' We form into a square quickly. The front rank kneels, rifle on the ground, bayonets pushed forward, forming a wall of bayonets. Clouds of black smoke hang over the area.
The enemy is now very close when the order is called out, 'Present fire.'
There is an ear-splitting crash as the battalion volleys into the enemy. They volley again and again. My immediate area is filled with flashes and gun smoke. The smoke partially clears. The French cavalry has been devastated. Hundreds of men and horses lie writhing and screaming. The assault on our square has failed. The remaining cavalry wheel left and right of us and many are brought down as they gallop between squares.
The men are loading and firing as quickly and efficiently as they have been drilled. The French cavalry returns again and again. The ground in front of the battalion is like some dreadful charnel house of dead and wounded, increasing in size after every charge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jul 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781528996228

John Grant Jackson

Son of an Army officer, John Grant Jackson was educated at Wellington and Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the King's Own Royal Regiment and later the King's Own Royal Border Regiment. He served in Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, Jamaica and Ulster. He retired from the Army and became a jeweller. He is a Fellow of the Gemological Society. His interests range from fencing and dinghy racing to field sports and the Open University. John is married and has three children. He lives in County Durham.

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About the Author

Son of an Army officer, John Grant Jackson was educated at Wellington and Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the King's Own Royal Regiment and later the King's Own Royal Border Regiment. He served in Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, Jamaica and Ulster. He retired from the Army and became a jeweller. He is a Fellow of the Gemological Society. His interests range from fencing and dinghy racing to field sports and the Open University. John is married and has three children. He lives in County Durham.

Dedication

To my wife Denise, for her patience and constant inspiration.

Copyright Information ©

John Grant Jackson (2021)

The right of John Grant Jackson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781528996211 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781528996228 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2021)

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Acknowledgement

The diary is based on the regimental history of the King’s Own, ‘The Story of a Royal Regiment’ by Colonel L.I.Cowper. Without the history the diary could not have been written. ‘Waterloo Letters’, edited by Major General H.T.Siborne, provided some fascinating eyewitness accounts of personal experiences of the battle and included some details of the King’ Own not found in the history.

Peter Donnelly, the curator of the King’s Own Royal Regiment Museum in Lancaster, helpfully provided information about officers present at the battle and much historical detail about the Regiment. I am particularly grateful to Linda Polley, who proofread the manuscript and gave me much very useful advice.

I have read many of the huge number of books written about Waterloo. The accounts that I found most useful were Waterloo 1815, Quatre Bras and Ligny by Peter Hofschroer and To War with Wellington by Peter Snow. I have yet to find a diary written as though it is a personal account of a young officer at Waterloo.

Preface

The house is a large Georgian manor house near Lancaster, and was part of an estate. The estate was probably bought with the proceeds from Lancaster’s slave trade. The land was gradually sold off years ago. My family have lived here for generations. The children have grown up and live their own lives in the south of England. The house is now too big and too expensive for us to run. So, regretfully, we are selling up and downsizing to a smaller modem house. First we have to rid ourselves of generations of old-fashioned furniture and rubbish that should have been thrown out years ago. We have cleared most of the house, but the attic remains to be sorted out.

I climb up the bare wooden staircase and open the attic door. It is awkward, moving around the piles of dusty boxes and bundles, lit by a single bare light bulb. Finally the attic is cleared, apart from a battered black trunk. It is heavy and I have some trouble taking it down the attic stairs.

I am curious about the trunk. In the good light on the landing, it appears to be an old uniform case. On the lid of the case is painted:

Captain J.W.Collins

The King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment

Depot Royal Lancasters

Bowerham Barracks

Lancaster

This has to be my grandfather’s uniform case from the First World War. The hinges creak as I prize the case open. There is still a