Conversations with the General Category
Iconic painting of the Iron Duke saved
April 11, 2017 - The Chairman
It is indeed fantastic news that this fine painting of the Duke has been saved for the Nation to enjoy. Thought by many to be the best impression of the great man particularly as it focusses on his face alone. This was because Sir Thomas Lawrence, the artist, died in 1830 before he could finish […]
The Prussian Service at Apsley House
March 27, 2017 - The Chairman
On 1 April Apsley House will open for the summer with an astonishing display. The Prussian Dinner Service given to the Great Duke in 1817 by the Prussian King as a mark of gratitude at the victory at Waterloo. It is to go on display as a fully laid table as for a banquet. It […]
The Prince Imperial’s sword
March 24, 2017 - The Chairman
I recently mentioned the sword worn by the Prince Imperial when he was killed by Zulus whilst serving as British Officer in 1879. I wondered where it was and as the legend was that it was Napoleon’s sword that he had worn at Austerlitz it was relevant to this site. The truth is sadly more […]
Teach Meet – What is it?
March 21, 2017 - The Chairman
Well., I had no idea until Serjeant Gibson and I poled up yesterday at the Museum of London. Serjeant Gibson was somewhat suspicious and thought I was going to leave him there as an exhibit. But no, we were there for a “Teach Meet”. In fact it was a very jolly couple of hours in […]
Wellington’s Men Remembered
March 19, 2017 - The Chairman
On Thursday the Waterloo Association had its AGM and it was enhanced by a most interesting talk on the strategy, rather than the tactics, of the Waterloo campaign. Readers of this blog should look out for the publication of John Hussey’s magnum opus on Waterloo which goes into the minutest detail of the campaign and […]
Reenactors
March 12, 2017 - The Chairman
Maybe reenactors and their activities are not your style and Serjeant Gibson is sceptical. However I have just come across a very good bit of film on reenactment of Waterloo where most of the talking is by our own resident surgeon, Mick Crumplin. I really recommend you look at the clip here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAb-RyDiPn8. It’s Mick at […]
Blücher’s Elephant
February 27, 2017 - The Chairman
The remarkable Blücher was the major influence in the successful 1814 campaign in which eventually the Allies occupied Paris but he did have problems. At one stage after the 1806-7 defeat of Prussia by Napoleon he suffered a breakdown, a side effect of which was to have hallucinations about giving birth to an elephant! In […]
Mercer Grave Restored in Time
June 7, 2015 - The Chairman
The money was fortunately found to restore the grave of Cavalié Mercer and here I show a stonemason re-pointing the inscription. The race is to restore the grave in time for the ceremony on 18th June. It’s a particularly interesting and attractive grave and we can thank Robert Pocock in taking the initiative to organise […]
Daily Mail!
June 6, 2015 - The Chairman
Extraordinarily enough the Daily Mail did a piece in yesterday’s edition and then Serjeant Gibson told me there was an additional piece in today’s Mail. It was good to see an imaginary report of Waterloo on 22 June 1815. I was pleased to see they had used this web site to extract some facts for their […]
Good Morning Duke!
May 29, 2015 - The Chairman
I and Serjeant Gibson were in Wellington Barracks the other day and bumped into the Great Duke. It’s a fine sculpture which had been in the forecourt of the Military Chapel in Caterham Barracks, which was turned into a very successful housing estate by Linden Homes in the late 1990s. It was originally presented to […]
