William Smith. Ensign 2nd Light Battalion King's German Legion.

Hi Ron,

I pulled the 1829 officer returns from WO25, but unfortunately they had very little information.
Thanks for the info re: the German language. I see your point regarding at least a rudimentary knowledge of German being necessary. This, coupled with the fact that ,as you say, a free commission plus marriage of a junior officer
on half pay to a wealthy woman is rather intriguing. This is why I was hoping that his enlistment papers, if they survived somewhere, would give some clues to his background - perhaps eventually leading towards a marriage certificate etc. (Perhaps the old story of an older woman flattered by a young buck??)

Allan