History : Hall Of Fame : Archibald Arnott, Surgeon to Napoleon
Archibald Arnott M.D., joined the army as Hospital Assistant on the 14th April 1795, and was appointed Assistant Surgeon of the 11th Light Dragoons on the 25th December, 1796; being promoted Surgeon of the 20th Regiment on 23rd August 1799. He was present at Krabbendam and Egmont-Op-Zee and served with the Regiment in Malta, Sicily, Calabria and was present at the battle of Maida. In 1812, Dr Arnott accompanied the 20th to Portugal, serving in Lord Wellington's campaigns until the end of the war.
It was at St. Helena whilst the regiment guarded Napoleon that Dr Arnott gained his place in the history books. Dr Arnott was required to attend the Emperor Napoleon during his last illness. He was called in to see the Emperor (having been previously consulted by Professor Antommarchi, the Corsican physician), about half past ten on the night of 1st April 1821.
"The room was perfectly dark and he could barely distinguish the form of Napoleon as he lay on his camp bed."
On the 3rd of May 1821, Napoleon gave instructions that should he become insensible, no English physician other Arnott was to touch him. Dr Arnott was present at the death of Napoleon that occurred at forty-nine minutes past five in the afternoon of 5th May 1821. The Emperor bequeathed to Dr. Arnott the sum of six hundred Napoleons and the British Government granted him a gratuity of five hundred pounds.
While being guarded by the 20th at St. Helena, Napoleon Bonaparte presented to the Regiment some three weeks before his death his copy of 
the three volumes of Coxe's "Life of Marlborough" which had been given to him by the Hon. Robert Spencer, who arrived at St. Helena in October 1820, commanding HMS Owen Glendower.
Inside one of the volumes is a copy of an original letter dated Longwood, 15th April, 1821, written by Captain Engelbert Lutyens (ancestor of Edward Lutyens) of the 20th, who was orderly officer to Napoleon. The letter records that the Emperor, in conversation with Doctor Arnott...
"had been talking about English soldiers, and all of a sudden he said he would make the library of the 20th Regiment a present of the history of the duke of Marlborough, one of the best English generals...."
Napoleon thereupon ordered one of his suite to send the books to Lutyens, who found them in his apartment, and only learned the circumstances on questioning Dr Arnott. These volumes can now be found in the museum.
