As the 200th anniversary approaches of a battle that determined the future of our regions, one Redcar man is proud to call one of the heroic soldiers his great, great, great grandfather.
After taking an interest in the family tree, Philip Chisholm, discovered that his hero ancestor, Harold Chisholm, had been a soldier and survived a number of battles, including the battle of Waterloo in June 1815.
Harold Chisholm was born in 1791. When he was just 15 he enlisted in the 92nd regiment of foot, who later became known as the Gordon Highlanders.
During his time as a soldier, as well as meeting the Duke of Wellington on the battlefield, Harold was awarded the Peninsula medal with five deserving clasps representing his involvement in the battle of Fuentes de Onoro, battle of Vitoria, battle of the Pyrenees, battle of Orthez and the battle of Toulouse.
Philip , 61, said: “He came through it. Apart from a small leg wound, he got through 11 years in the army unscathed.”
“We found out by going through the ancestral history about two years ago.
“Having done the research we went back to find his military record.”
Two days before the batte of Waterloo, Harold also fought in the bloody battle of Quatre Bras which saw half of his regiment killed.
In the battle of Waterloo, which marked the final defeat of Napolean, the Iron Duke placed Harold’s regiment in the second line of attack behind the Belgium army. The soldiers were tired from their battle two days before though so the Duke of Wellington hoped they would not be used.
However, the regiment soon found themselves in the middle of the battle and successfully managed to hold their ground until rescued by the Scottish cavalry regiment. By this time half of Harold’s regiment lay dead on the battlefield but not Harold, once again he was undefeated and lived to tell the tale.
Philip, who works as a picture editor, said: “If you go back to the turn of the century then that is good but to find out you have a hero in the family. It gives you a feeling of belonging, being part of something in the history of our nation.
“We are here today because of the battles we fought.”
Despite being unable to track down Harold Chisholm’s original war medals, Philip has been able to have replicas produced as a lasting keepsake.
Philip recalls his greatest ever achievement in life being the time when he rescued a sea lion from the waters just off the Redcar shore. However, he admitted: “It just does not compare to what Harold did.
“To be so brave and to have fought for so long.
“You live your life thinking that you have achieved a little when out of the blue you read what your great, great, great grandfather did with his life.
“It makes one realise the simplicity of your daily life in 2015.”
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