GRENFELL, WILLIAM (1794-1857) was born in London in October 1795, the elder son of William Grenfell by his wife, Frances Woodis.

 He entered the Royal Military College – established by Royal Warrant in 1801 & sited until 1812 at Great Marlow – on July 7, 1809, at the age of 13 years and nine months; he left in December 1811, having been gazetted into the 7th Regiment of Light Dragoons (Hussars) in April 1811 as a cornet.

 Serving as a lieutenant from March 11, 1813, he took part in the Peninsula Campaign which included the battles of Orthes & Toulouse in 1814. On June 17, 1815, he was with the regiment when, nearing Genappe, he was “ridden down by the French Heavy Cavalry when the army was retiring from Quatre Bras”. He survived the rout and was awarded both the Peninsular and Waterloo medals (see photograph).

 He served as a captain in the 21st Light Dragoons from December 24, 1818, and was on half pay from October 26, 1820.

 In 1822 he married a Dutch lady, Josene Marie Christine Daendels and was to spend the rest of his life in Holland and died at Hattam 26 January 1857.

(Tremenheere Papers H S Tremenheere Morrab Library, Penzance; Waterloo Roll Call 1971 Charles Dalton; Trace Your Roots in Holland Genlias website ; Battle of Waterloo Index D L Milner; Waterloo Medal Roll; Peninsular War British Army Officer 1808-1814; Illustration by Jack1956 at English Wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.