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Auction: 18002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 21

Military General Service 1793-1814, 10 clasps, Roleia, Vimiera, Talavera, Busaco, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Orthes, Toulouse (T. O'Doherty, Lieut. 40th Foot.), very fine

Provenance:
Sotheby's, February 1912.

A unique combination of clasps to an Officer of the 40th Foot.

Theobald O'Doherty served with the 40th Foot as a Lieutenant on the Peninsula. He was wounded whilst with the 1st Battalion in the Pyrenees, 28 July 1813 and again, this time severely, at Toulouse on 10 April 1814 (A History of the Peninsula War, refers). Promoted Captain and placed on the Retired List in June 1815, he transferred to the 91st Foot in June 1821 and was stationed at Jamaica during 1824. It was whilst on the island he was imprisoned '...for conduct unbecoming the character of an Officer and a Gentleman'. It was as a result of having, the court concluded, falsely accused Lieutenant Barnes of throwing wine into the face of Lieutenant-Colonel McDonald, the former commanding officer. O'Doherty claimed McDonald had taken no further action than to reprimand young Barnes, suggesting that McDonald did not have total command of his Regiment. The court convened at Up Park Camp Barracks, Jamaica in June 1825 and the result was that O'Doherty was dismissed from the service.

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Sold for
£6,000