Whilst looking for something completely unrelated I found this. Is there any truth to it? Did he fire the first shot? How could they tell? http://www.picturesofengland.com/England/Oxfordshire/Clifton_Hampden/pictures/1093768 The grave of William Dyke who accidentally fired the first shot at the Battle of Waterloo; June 1815. He was a Private in the 1st Foot Guards, later Grenadier Guards and became a Sergeant later on.
Just reading 'The Battle' by Alessandro Barbaro. It's a very good account. Just lacks maps, but I'll get the Osprey book to help with that. All the best Andreas
if it wasn't for the victory in 1815, we'd all be speaking french if it wasn't for the victory in 1945 we'd all be speaking german! just a thought
https://twitter.com/Waterloo2015_BE/status/583190737736634368/photo/1 To honour of the courageous French soldiers, the lion on the Mound will be replaced by a cock in June 2015 !
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-32167860 http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/waterloo
The famous Siborne Waterloo diorama at the Royal Armouries Leeds is being restored in honour of the occasion. I hope no one has tried to visit and see it on my recommendation (Post 2). Still there are many other things worth seeing there. Mike
Archaeologists identify skeleton of soldier who was killed at the battle of Waterloo after his 200-year-old remains were discovered under a car park - just like Richard III Expert identified man who fought with British troops as Friedrich Brandt The remains are the first complete skeleton to be recovered from Waterloo A piece of wood, a spoon and a month's wages turned out to be vital clues Link to The Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3026442/200-year-old-skeleton-hunchback-soldier-killed-battle-Waterloo-Belgian-car-park-believed-trained-Sussex.html
For the modellers out there. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3030264/Amazing-model-shows-extent-Battle-Waterloo.html
Andreas, I am currently writing a mystery novel set in New York with a private detective heroine who is German American. Her mother and father were Hanoverians. At one point she is talking in German to an informer who is also German-American, and the informer tells my heroine "you still have the worst platdeutsch accent I've ever heard."
I'm heading to Waterloo tomorrow. Visited briefly before, but I'm doing it properly this time in a group and with a guidebook. Some interesting things I've learned from the guidebook (by David Buttery) that I didn't know before: 1. The French called the battle Mont St. Jean for many years, for the simple fact that this is where the battle was fought and Waterloo is 2 or 3 miles away. The Prussians wanted to call it La Belle Alliance after the close-by farmhouse and inn, as Blucher thought this would be fitting. However, Wellington always believed in naming his battles after significant features or where his HQ was - hence Waterloo. 2. The scale of victory of battles of the period was measured by the amount of cannon captured. Rarely were more than 50 cannon captured - at Waterloo the French lost 200. 3. Although the battle was a major defeat for the French and 2 (possibly 3) regimental Eagles were captured, the Allies lost 2 to 6 colours to the French, although only 2 were confirmed lost by their regiments. 4. Even after Waterloo Napoleon believed all was not lost. Combining the remnants of the Armee du Nord with the forces defending Paris would have given him 117,000 men. There were also 150,000 conscripts undergoing training. However, once the scale of the Waterloo defeat became known in Paris he was forced to step down as Emperor. But even then he offered his services as a mere general to the provisional government, arguing that Waterloo had to be avenged for the sake of national honour - they refused. Update - it just occurred to me that because of 4. Abba got it wrong and Napoleon didn't surrender at Waterloo. Dear Benny and Bjorn....
Scotland's part in the Battle of Waterloo will be commemorated in a special re-enactment in the Borders at the end of June. The Waterloo Monument near Jedburgh is the chosen site to mark the 200th anniversary. A cavalry charge and marching bands are just some of the attractions scheduled http://www.itv.com/news/border/update/2015-04-14/borders-to-re-enact-battle-of-waterloo/
Very good thanks, Mike. A total of 22 showed up - a mixture of Brit Expats and Dutch (and some of their children). Walked from the Lion Mound to Hougoumont for the first time and got a good perspective of the steepness of the slope the French cavalry and Imperial Guard attacked up - something you can only get at ground level. Also found out the 1st Foot Guards were renamed the Grenadier Guards after halting the French Grenadiers there (although it is more likely they actually halted Chasseurs). Couldn't go in Hougoumont as it is being done up for the big event in June. Had some time to spare on Sunday so a few of us took in Mons. Just north of the Conde Canal is the place where the first skirmish took place between British cavalry and the Germans on 22 August 1914. These were the first shots fired in anger by British troops on the European continent in almost 100 years since Waterloo. It was a fitting way to end the weekend. Shaun