Shadow from the past
October 14, 2018 - The Chairman in News & Blog Posts, Chairman's Blog
I was at the Royal Military Academy last week and saw once again the statue of The Pr
ince Imperial. I was with several other people and I was asked why are there Napoleonic Eagles at Sandhurst? It is a sad but fascinating story. Louis Napoleon was the only son of Napoleon III and when in 1870 Napoleon was defeated in the Franco Prussian War he returned to live in Chiselhurst with his family. Napoleon III died in 1873 but in 1878 the young Louis was permitted to join the British Army and in due course he was commissioned into The Royal Artillery. Thirsting for action he got himself attached to the 1879 expedition to quell the Zulus after the fatal Battle of Isandlwana. However on a reconnaissance patrol he was surprised and killed. At the time it was a scandal and courts martial
followed. Many years ago I visited the isolated spot.
A statue was placed at the Royal Military Academy Woolwich which trained officers for the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers but when Woolwich was merged with the Royal Military College in 1947 the statue was moved to its current site. It’s an extraordinary story and for those who wish to read more: http://www.historynet.com/the-death-of-a-prince-louis-napoleon-and-the-tragedy-of-the-zulu-war.htm
