Waterloo Roll Call, 1815
Discover if your ancestor appears in Charles Dalton's Battle of Waterloo roll call; a list of almost 4,000 men (mostly officers) who took part in this epic battle. Find out their military record and even what they did when they left the army.
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Discover if your ancestor appears in Charles Dalton's Battle of Waterloo roll call; a list of almost 4,000 men (mostly officers) who took part in this epic battle. Find out their military record and even what they did when they left the army.
Learn about these records
Each record contains both a transcript and an image of the original entry in the Waterloo Roll Call. The information contained can vary but you could be able to find out the following about your ancestor:
- Name
- Rank
- Regiment
Often there is more information available in the image. You could find out further details including past and subsequent military service, civilian honours received, details of family and even date and the circumstances of their death.
The Waterloo Roll Call is a list of 3,999 men, mainly officers, who were present on the eve or morning of the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium on June 18th 1815. It contains the names of those serving in British Regiments, as compiled - and subsequently updated - by Charles Dalton in the second edition of his book, Waterloo Roll Call, 1815, published in 1904.
In addition to the officers' roll call this collection also contains a muster roll of the Scots Greys and a list of non-commissioned officers and men who served in the Battle of Waterloo and were subsequently commissioned.
British Officers who held commissions in the German Legion or other foreign forces are not included in the roll call. The Battle of Waterloo ended Napoleon Bonaparte’s rule as French Emperor. Britain and her allies, led by the Duke of Wellington joined with the Prussian forces led by Gebhard von Blucher to defeat Napoleon’s army in Belgium. Of the 68,000 Anglo allied forces, there were 17000 military casualties. The French suffered losses of 48,000 of which 8,000 were taken prisoner.
Some veteran Peninsular regiments like the 43rd Light Infantry, had been sent to America in 1814 and arrived too late to take part in the Battle of Waterloo. The Waterloo forces were therefore made up of a mix of seasoned veteran regiments, recent new recruits and foreign auxiliaries. There were 106,000 men in total, only 1/3 of the Anglo allied forces were British.
ADC - Aide-de-Camp
Bd - buried
Bt - Battery
Bt-Mjr - Brevet-Major
Btn(s) - Battalion(s)
Capt - Captain
CB - Companion of the Bath
C-in-C - Commander in Chief
D - died
Dau - daughter
Dns - Dragoons
Dsp - Died without leaving surviving issue
F-M - Field Marshall
Ft Gds - Foot Guards
GCB - Knight Grand Cross of the Bath
GCH - Knight Grand Cross of Hanover
Hon - Honourable
hp - half pay
HRH - His Royal Highness
k - killed [when after an officer’s name]
KCB - Knight Commander of the Bath
KCH - Knight Commander of Hanover
KG - Knight of the Order of the Garter
KGL - King’s German Legion
KH - Knight of Hanover
KMB - Knight of Maximilian of Bavaria
KMT - Knight of Marie Theresa of Austria
K St A - Knight of St Anne of Russia
K St G - Knight of St George of Russia
K St V - Knight of St Vladimir of Russia
KTS - Knight of the Tower and Sword of Portugal
KW - Knight of Wilhelm of Holland
LI - Light Infantry
Lt - Lieutenant
Lt Batt - Light Battery
Lt-Col - Lieutenant-Colonel
Lt Dns - Light Dragoons
M - married
Maj - Major
Maj-Gen - Major General
NCO - non-commissioned officer [lower-ranking]
Pa - Peninsula
Par - Peninsular
Retd - retired
RH Gds - Royal Horse Guards
Rl - Royal
Unm - unmarried
w - wounded [when after an officer’s name]