Waterloo Messenger

Henry Percy is best known as the officer who carried the Waterloo Dispatch, the Duke of Wellingtons account of the Battle of Waterloo and the ultimate defeat of Napoleon, to London in June 1815. This was the climax of a remarkable military career. He served in the British army throughout the Napoleonic Wars in Sicily, Egypt, Sweden, Portugal and Spain, and he fought at Waterloo. This biography gives us a fascinating insight into active service and the high command during those wartime years.

The strong, contrasting personalities of the notable British and French commanders he encountered Moore, Wellington and Junot among them are revealed, and his time as a captive in France offers us a rare inside view of the everyday existence of a prominent prisoner of war. Using archives in England, in particular at Alnwick Castle, and in France, William Mahon has reconstructed Percys life in meticulous detail. He paints a vivid picture of Percys wartime experience. He also describes his enduring friendships and his liaison with the French woman who bore him a son.

About the Author

Colonel Sir William Mahon served in the Irish Guards and in Germany, Malaysia, Aden, Hong Kong, Pakistan and Spain. He is also a former officer of Her Majestys Bodyguard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms. Having visited Waterloo many times, his boyhood interest in the Peninsular and Waterloo campaigns was rejuvenated by his attach service in Spain. The link between Corunna, Talavera and Waterloo focused in the curious story, full of coincidences, of one largely forgotten young officer, Henry Percy.