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Or alternatively please write to :
John White,
23a Wylde Green Road,
Sutton Coldfield,
B72 1HO
Or email : hw8691@blueyonder.co.uk
The Imperial Eagle of the 22ième Regiment de la Ligne was taken at the Battle of Salamanca, 22 July 1812, by Ensign John Pratt of the 30th Foot.
It is the finest and most important military trophy in the possession of The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment Museum (itself now the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment) and is listed by the Home Office as a British National Treasure. As such it may not be disposed of or taken out of the country, even temporarily, without Government permission.
Only Imperial Eagles captured in battle have survived, those still cherished by their original owners being ordered destroyed after the final defeat of Napoleon. Most were captured in Russia or Prussia and were preserved in St Petersburg or Berlin. There is no record of any of these surviving World War II and it is therefore possible that the few held by the British Army are the only examples still in existence.
 Pratt’s Eagle, together with another also captured at Salamanca, one more taken at Badajoz, and two found in Madrid, was sent by sea to London by the Duke of Wellington. On arrival they were the centrepieces of a parade called the Deposition of the Eagles, a ceremonial public humiliation held on Horse Guards Parade in front of the Prince Regent. They were then consigned to Chelsea Hospital where they remained for the next 135 years, being removed only once, in 1852, when for the Iron Duke’s lying in state they were mounted on black poles and placed beside his body in St Paul’s Cathedral.
The Salamanca Eagle was returned ceremonially to the East Lancashire Regiment, successors to the 30th Foot, in 1947, and inherited by The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment upon amalgamation in 1970. It is now displayed under secure and controlled conditions in the Museum. Copies were taken from a mould of the original. They faithfully reproduce the original in every detail including battle damage (note the missing talons).
Available for order in the following sizes from: Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, Fulwood Barracks, Preston, Lancashire PR2 8AA.
Bronzed on 2-inch base. £133.00.
Gold Waxed (as per example). £222.00 Engraving not included.
Silver Plated. £556.00. Hall Marked silver plate. Engraving included.
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