A Scot's Grey at Waterloo

William Clarke of Prestonpans, Scotland, joined the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons, the Scots Greys, in 1803. Clarke had risen to the rank of sergeant by the time the regiment was ordered to Belgium on the news that Napoleon had escaped from Elba. Forming part of what became known as the Union Brigade, the Scots Greys played a key role in Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo. The John Rylands Library, Manchester, recently acquired William Clarke’s 600-page, hand-written memoir describing his enlis…