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‘Thomas Browne’, 1743

line engraving, engraving

Accession Number

NAM.1974-05-69-90-1

Description

Thomas Browne of Bland’s Regiment of Dragoons. Line engraving published by John Bowles and Son, 21 Nov 1743. Thomas or Tom Brown was a blacksmith’s son from North Yorkshire and joined the King’s Regiment of Dragoons less than a year before serving with it at Dettingen. Aged 28 at the time of the battle, he rescued the regimental guidon after it was captured by the French, being wounded eight times and losing two horses from under him. George II offered Brown a commission but he was illiterate and so unable to accept it - instead, he was placed in one of the Troops of Horse Guards. However, two musket balls in his back could not be extracted and he soon had to retire, dying of his wounds aged 31 at Yarm in January 1746.

Events

Dettingen, Battle of, 1743 (War of the Austrian Succession 1740-1748)

Units

Troops of Horse Guards

King’s Regiment of Dragoons

People

Thomas Brown, (1715-1746)

Bowles and Son, John

Dimensions

Width: 276 mm Text: 385 mm

Inscriptions

‘Thomas Browne / A Yorkshire Man 28 Yers of Age, of G Blands’ Rigt [sic] / He had two Horses kill’d under him, two Fingers of the Bridle Hand chopp’d off, then his Horse took Fright, and ran to the Read of / the Enemy, In the meantime the Houshould Troops where [sic] disputing the Standard, & took it, they being 9 deep to our 3, they riding to / secure in their Read, our brave Dragoon form’d a design to retake it, & made a Feint towards his Regiment, about 80 Yards when / on a Sudden he made furiously at the Gen’d Arm, & shot him thro the Head; The Standard fell in his Arms, otherwise he would not have had / time to dismount for it: upon which he rode thro’ the Ranks of the Enemy, in doing which he receiv’d 5 Wounds in the Face, Head & Neck, two / Balls in his Back; 3 went thro’ his Hat, & rejoin’d his Rigimt [sic], in a very weak Condition, who gave him three Huzzas on his Arrival.’

Associated collection