NRWGCThe grave of a notable soldier who fought within the Battle of Waterloo has been restored by volunteers.
Sgt William Lawrence’s posthumously revealed autobiography was one of the crucial well-known first-hand accounts of the Napoleonic wars.
He died in Studland, Dorset, in 1869 and is buried in the identical plot as his French spouse at St Nicholas Church.
Their gravestone has been cleaned by the Napoleonic and Revolutionary Warfare Graves Charity (NRWGC) to mark the 210th anniversary of Napoleon’s closing battle.
NRWGCSgt Lawrence served in South America and fought all through the Napoleonic wars.
Throughout Waterloo, on 18 June 1815, his fortieth Regiment of Foot was within the thick of the battle.
He was awarded the silver medal with 10 clasps for combating in main battles, in addition to the Waterloo medal – the primary issued to troopers of all ranks.
He remained in France as a part of the military of occupation the place he met and married Clotilde Clairet.
The couple later returned to England and have become landlords of the Wellington Inn, Studland.
Clotilde died in 1853 and is commemorated on the alternative aspect of the identical gravestone at St Nicholas’.
NRWGCThe restoration was carried out by NRWGC founder Dr Zack White of Portsmouth College, Prof Ed Coss of the US Military Command and Normal Workers School, and retired US Military Command Sergeant Main Alexander McMillan.
William Lawrence was born in 1791 at Briantspuddle and began out as a constructing apprentice earlier than becoming a member of the navy.
NRWGC chair Dr Graeme Callister described him as “an strange lad who went to warfare for his nation”.
He stated: “We hope that some can be impressed to seek out out extra about William, the battle he was in, or his life with Clotilde.
“This clear actually highlights the significance of the NRWGC’s work in preserving the graves and monuments of troopers from the Napoleonic Wars.”
