Case of the Waterloo Dispatch
This wallet or sachet of purple silk velvet and crepe, maker unknown, is traditionally said to be a lady’s handkerchief sachet. It played a vital role after the Battle of Waterloo, as it was in this case that the Waterloo Dispatch travelled back to London from Belgium. The Dispatch, carried by Major Henry Percy, was the Duke of Wellington’s account of the battle, and was the first news received by the British government of the Allied victory. The case is photographed on Major Percy’s uniform in which he fought at Waterloo.
Major Henry Percy of the 14th Light Dragoons served as an aide-de-camp (assistant to a senior officer) to Wellington at Waterloo, and as the only uninjured aide left to Wellington after the battle, he carried the first message to London bearing news of the victory: the handwritten Waterloo Dispatch.
Percy family tradition says that the Major was still wearing the clothes in which he had danced at the Duchess of Richmond’s Ball, though they were spattered with the blood of a brother officer. This ball had been held in Brussels on the 15th June, 3 days before the Battle of Waterloo. The party was interrupted by reports of Napoleon’s approach, so it is quite believable that Major Percy would not have had a chance to change clothes. He also apparently still had with him a large velvet handkerchief sachet given to him by a dancing partner. It was in this that he placed the dispatch before riding by night and day to reach Ostend.
There he boarded a ship, The Peruvian, but the vessel was becalmed in the middle of the Channel. The Peruvian’s Captain lowered a large rowing boat and chose four crewmen to row it. With the two captured French Eagles lying in the bottom of the boat, all six men reputedly rowed the gig to shore. They landed near Broadstairs at 3pm on 21st June, and Percy immediately commandeered a carriage and horses.
When Percy arrived in London that night, he searched for the Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool. Percy and Liverpool then hurried through a gathering crowd to St. James’s Square, where the Prince Regent was dining.
Lord Liverpool announced, ‘I have brought Major Percy, who comes with news of a great victory for your Royal Highness.’
‘Not Major Percy, but Lieutenant Colonel Percy,’ said the Prince. ‘We have not suffered much loss, I hope.’
‘The loss has been very great indeed,’ Percy replied, at which the Regent burst into tears.
However, the news of Allied victory was greeted with great rejoicing across all of Britain, and the newly-promoted Percy became a national hero.
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