Pot de Voiture

By LORD EGREMONT

In the London Tinier recently appeared the following report :

A replica has just been made of 'The Em- peror.' one of the proudest possessions of the 14th/20th King's Hussars. It is a large silver object. once the property of Joseph Buonaparte, King of Spain. and described demurely in the regimental history as his 'personal silver utensil.' The 14th Light Dragoons captured it at the battle of Vittoria in 1813 when they fell upon Joseph's baggage train. It is now used at mess functions when all officers rise in turn to drink champagne from its glittering depths.

The CO calls upon one officer to complete the toast of 'The Emperor' by swallowing as much of the remaining champagne as he can manage and in any case upturning the utensil on his head. This calls for nice judgment be- tween capacity and willingness to pay for the cleaning of a mess jacket.

Some officers are saving that the replica should never. ever. be used for the traditional toast but only held in reserve against disaster to the original. One officer has written to the CO saying that to guard against such sacrilege the replica should have.,a small hole drilled in the bottom.

It was my great-great-uncle. Henry Wyndham, who captured the original pot.

When the French were retreating after the battle of Vittoria, the leading pursuing squadron was Henry's. The road they tried to follow was blocked by carriages. baggage wagons, refugees and what not. Henry and his squadron never- theless pushed on regardless until they caught up with a huge covered carriage with a cavalry escort belonging to the opposite side forcing their way through the refugees. Henry rode up to the carriage and discharged his pistol through the nearside windows. The carriage stopped. The offside door flew open and out bounded Joseph Buonaparte, who hurriedly climbed on to a spare horse and escaped. The reign in Spain of King Joseph thus ended on the plain.

I have often.. wondered what had happened a to that pot. I am now delighted to know that it is in such goOd and gallant hands.

I know nothing more about this incident ex- cept what I have just recounted. But why did

Henry let Joseph escape? Was it because they did not realise what a great prey was within their reach? Was it because it was more con- venient :to let Joseph go? Or were they just clumsy; or the French cavalry escort very adroit? I do not know. Anyway, they got the carriage, which was i.berlin, and its contents.

There is•:no. doubt that Henry was a very gallant officer. At the Battle of Waterloo Henry

fought in the Coldstream Guards, to which regiment he had got himself transferred. The battle began with a French attack on the château of Hougoumont with the object of tempting the Duke of Wellington to divert troops from his centre and so weaken the opposition to Napoleon's main attack, which was to be made against the British centre by D'Erlon's infantry. Wellington diverted no troops. Henry was at Hougoumont. The Guards held out, despite'the bringing up of French reserves who drove the Coldstream and 3rd Guards back to the house

and its Courty-ard. The gate was hastily barri- caded by its defenders. Then a French subaltern, Legros, wielding a great axe, broke through the

harrier with some of his men. But Colonel Mac- donnell, who was in command, Captain Wynd- ham. Ensigns Gooch and Harvey, and Sergeant Graham, by sheer force of strength closed the gate, thus trapping Legros and the few of his men who had got through. Then the French- men, fighting bravely, were slain.

A cousin, Charles Wyndham, was in the great cavalry charge 'which later that day broke up the attack of D'Erlon's infantry columns.

My grandmother, when afflicted by a draught at home, used to say that no Wyndham had closed a door since Hougoumont.

I take this opportunity to salute the 14th/20th King's Hussars, the memory of Henry—and the pot.