The 2nd Battalion of the 69th Regiment saw action throughout the Waterloo campaign, and during the battle, stood firm in the face of numerous charges from the French cavalry as they desperately tried to break the Allied lines. It was during one of these charges that the 69th lost their King’s Colour, a major psychological setback for any regiment.

After the colours were captured, they were given to General Donzelot who commanded the 2nd Infantry Division at Waterloo. The colours eventually passed to his grandson Xavier de Ricard who eventually gave them to someone who worked as a porter in his chateau as payment for a debt. The porter then sold them to a British holidaymaker, Captain J.P. Jeffcock, for £24 in May 1909. Captain Jeffcock gave the colours to the former Welsh Regiment Museum following his return from holiday.