One of the most astonishing tales of the battle is that of Sgt John Shaw of the 2nd Life Guards, based at La Haye-Sainte on the morning of the 18th of June 1815 who was heavily involved in the day's fighting 
Shaw had made a name for himself before the battle as a talented boxer. He gained notoriety following a street brawl with 3 toughs who foolishly taunted him near London's Portman Square from which he emerged triumphant. His officers introduced him to Five Courts Club and boxing..
... school in Bond Street where Shaw fought and defeated James Molyneaux, the American boxer, in a “friendly fight” ie with gloves. Soon afterward he defeated Capt Robert Barclay of 23rd Regiment, who was renowned for his devastating punches.
Shaw had his first bare-knuckle fight in 1812 against Mr Burrows, emerging the victor in under 17 minutes. He was seen as a contender for the championship of England, especially after his ruthless demolition of...
Ned Painter on Hounslow Heath in April 1815, and was set to challenge the legendary Tom Cribb for the title when his regiment was called to France. There are tales that his supporters offered to buy him out of the Army, but he refused.
Prizefighters often had a side-line in posing for artists – being considered fine physical specimens - and it was while acting as a model for Benjamin Haydon that Shaw met Sir Walter Scott, who joined his fandom, and his interest no doubt helped build Shaw’s later fame.
(See Haydon’s ‘ The judgment of Solomon’ at @theboxplymouth – with our hero as executioner) d3d00swyhr67nd.cloudfront.net/w1200h1200/col…
On the morning of the battle, Shaw was leading a foraging party but soon re-joined the rest of his regiment under the command of Lord Edward Somerset on the slopes above La Haye-Sainte.
Shaw took part in a number of conspicuous charges with his comrades.
Shaw took part in a number of conspicuous charges with his comrades.
Accounts state he spectacularly cut down a French cuirassier to gain an eagle standard but thrust it aside in riding to the rescue of someone else. In the second to last charge, he became isolated, broke his sword, and resorted to using his helmet to defend himself.
He may also have been shot – as the 1824 battle of Waterloo spectacular at Astley’s amphitheatre suggested. He probably bled to death finally, rather than dying of a single wound, during the night after the battle having dragged himself back towards La Haye Sainte.
We possess a remarkable sword (IX.968) which has an inscription saying that it belonged to Sergeant John Shaw “who killed 13 men at Waterloo”. Very skilfully it doesn’t say that it was his sword used at Waterloo...
collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-obj…
collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-obj…
As that one was supposed to have broken, leading to Shaw using his boxing talents and helmet to good effect
We have a huge resource dedicated to the battle of Waterloo and how it links to our collection. We also possess an extensive range of the types of weapons used at Waterloo collections.royalarmouries.org/battle-of-wate…
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