On 24 July 1810, the British Light Division, with 4,200 infantry and 800 cavalry, had a fierce tussle with Marshal Michel Ney's corps of 24,000 men near the river Coa, Portugal.
In a desperate charge during the battle, Sergeant Robert M'Quade, an Irishman, saw two French soldiers with levelled muskets awaiting the British to ascend a bank, and a boy of 16, afterwards famous as Sir George Brown, attempting to ascend to the fatal spot. M'Quade, himself only 24, pulled him back, saying, in a calm, decided tone, "You are too young, sir, to be killed." In doing so, he offered his own person to the fire, and fell in a lifeless heap at the feet of the youth, pierced with two bullets.
一八一零年七月二十四日，英國輕武裝師步兵四千二百人、騎兵八百人，與米歇爾．內伊元帥率領的二萬四千人軍團，在葡萄牙科亞河附近激戰。
戰鬥中，英軍有一次奮力衝鋒，北愛爾蘭人羅伯特．麥奎德中士看見兩個法國士兵火槍瞄準，只待英軍走上斜坡，同時，一個十六歲小夥子正要走上那死亡地點：那小夥子就是後來著名的喬治．布朗爵士。麥奎德自己也不過二十四歲，却把布朗拖回來，冷靜而果斷的說：「兄弟，你太年輕，不能死。」他救了布朗，却把自己暴露於槍前，身體遭兩顆子彈洞穿，倒在布朗脚下，一命嗚呼。