Duke of Wellington & the Peninsular War Heritage Manager Battlefield Guide Sharpe's Sword⚔️ Founding trustee @NRWGCharity Part Time Soldier. All views my own.
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Nelson's Trafalgar coat.
The coat he wore when he was shot.
A Vice-Admiral's undress coat.
There's a bullet hole on the left shoulder, blood stains on the tails, & a blood left sleeve, which is probably that of Nelson's secretary, John Scott, killed earlier in the action.
ALT National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
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Reviews are in, we are laughing at The Napoleon movie openly now...
So let's see your best Napoleon/Napoleon movie memes below 👇
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The Battle of Trafalgar.
Only known photograph of James Sharman.
A veteran of HMS Victory, he had served on various ships before being moved to Victory under Captain Hardy.
He reputedly helped carry a wounded Nelson below deck. He too was wounded at Trafalgar.
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A Roman camp, in Galicia, Spain.
Normally under water, this summer's drought has exposed it.
Aquis Querquennis, a vast site served as a fort & military barracks for Roman legions during the building of the Via Nova road, abandoned around 120AD.
Photograph by Brais Lorenzo.
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Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington created through ai using the only known "photograph" of the Duke, a daguerreotype taken in 1844, likely on Wellington's 65th birthday.
(Credit Omniart)
ALT By Omniart
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Nelson's Trafalgar coat.
The coat he wore when he was shot.
A Vice-Admiral's undress coat.
There's a bullet hole on the left shoulder, blood stains on the tails, & a blood left sleeve, which is probably that of Nelson's secretary, John Scott, killed earlier in the action.
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AI generated images of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson & Field Marshal The Duke of Wellington in modern service uniform.
Strangely I think Wellington suits MTP (British army camo) quite well, with standard senior officer scruffy collar/hood.
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Napoleonic Star Wars.
Do you have a favourite?
Might be Hussar Vader.
Or perhaps going too far?
(credit: alphonsemarcel.com )
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#OnThisDay 18 November 1852 the funeral of the Duke of Wellington.
Organised by Prince Albert it was one of the largest funerals ever seen, with a 10,000 strong procession from Horse Guards to St Paul's Cathedral via Apsley House through London.
A national outpouring of grief.
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The ensign of the Spanish Warship San Ildefonso on display in 2022, for Trafalgar Day at the National Maratime Museum.
Removed when the ship was captured at Trafalgar, it was displayed at Nelson's funeral & still shows the scars of the battle.
The space it fills & size is huge!
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"The Heavyweight Punch".
HMS Victory, HMS Temeraire and HMS Neptune lead the Weather Column towards the combined fleet, off Cape Trafalgar, 21st October 1805.
(by Geoff Hunt.)
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It is still the perfect* film, for any season.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
*Note PERFECT, not best, but the scenery, music, cinematography, characters, costumes and plot all give so much.
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HMS Dreadnought passing HMS Victory in Portsmouth Harbour.
In the photograph, Victory is dated as 1805 (battle of Trafalgar) but she was laid down in 1759 & launched in 1765.
HMS Dreadnought was a revolutionary design, sparking an arms race but outdated by WW1.
📸 by "CRIBB"
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HMS Surprise approaching her next victim. She's flying false colors hoping to get within range to bring her full broadside to bear. Captain Aubrey expects if all works well revealing her guns will intimidate the enemy into surrendering.
#SundayFunny
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Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington created using AI of the only known "photograph" of the Duke, a daguerreotype taken in 1844, likely on Wellington's 65th birthday.
Probably the closest that current (AI) technology can get us seeing Wellington's face.
(Credit Omniart)
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Nelson's Last Signal at Trafalgar.
Nelson instructed his signals officer, Lt Pasco, to signal to the fleet:
"England confides that every man will do his duty".
Pasco suggested to Nelson that the word expects, already in the code book, be substituted for confides, saving spelling it out. Nelson approved the change
(by Thomas Davidson.)
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#OnThisDay 1805 Wellington met Nelson.
In the Colonial Office the two men met, twice.
At first Nelson's ego meant he talked about himself, Wellesley said:
Nelson spoke in "a style so vain & so silly as to surprise & almost disgust me."
On a 2nd meeting Nelson mellowed.
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Nelson's Trafalgar coat.
A Vice-Admiral's undress coat.
There's a bullet hole on the left shoulder, blood stains on the tails, & a blood left sleeve, which is probably that of Nelson's secretary, John Scott, killed earlier in the action.
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An illustration of the, "Ship’s Company of HMS SURPRISE" by Geoff Hunt.
This fascinating painting helps show the difference 'Divisions' & Departments of a Royal Navy ship, typical for a British Frigate of the Georgian/Napoleonic era.
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Only known photograph of James Sharman.
A veteran of HMS Victory, he had served on various ships before being moved to Victory under Captain Hardy.
He reputedly helped carry a wounded Nelson below deck. He too was wounded at Trafalgar.
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Held #OnThisDay 15 June 1815, The Duchess of Richmond's Ball, in Brussels.
Napoleon had crossed the border, but no firm confirmation had filtered its way through Wellington's HQ.
With most senior officers attending, so did W.
It is now one of the most famous romantic moments.
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Photograph of Emmanuel Louis Cartigny, born at Hyères on 1 September 1791 & died there on this day, 21 March 1892.
He was the last survivor of the Battle of Trafalgar.
He wears two medals including the Legion d'honneur. (the second could be the Saint Helena medal.)
ALT Photograph of Monsieur Cartigny, seated. Photographed by Henry Ellis. Acquired by Queen Victoria, Royal Collection Trust.
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A thread for Charles Ewart, Sgt of the Scots Greys at Waterloo, later Ensign, famed for his Eagle capture on the 18th June 1815.
He died #OnThisDay 23 May 1846
Born 1769 (same year as Wellington & Napoleon) in Scotland, he joined the Dragoons when he was 20.
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The ensign of the Spanish Warship San Ildefonso on display today, for Trafalgar Day at the National Maratime Museum.
Removed when the ship was captured at Trafalgar, it was displayed at Nelson's funeral & still shows the scars of the battle.
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#OnThisDay 10 September 1805 Wellesley arrives back in Britain after almost a decade in India.
He travels towards London, where he will meet his political masters.
Soon, by pure chance his path will cross with another famous figure who is starting one of their last journeys.
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France is the 1st non-Commonwealth country to take part in the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Mon 8 April.
The Band of the Grenadier Guards & F Coy Scots Guards trained alongside the Gendarmerie’s Garde Républicaine.
They swapped headgear! (IRONY!) 💂🏻♂️
ALT Credit, The Army in London District. (MOD)
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Army recruiters outside the 'Mitre & Dove' public house, London 1877.
(Right to left) Sergeant Ison, 6th Dragoon Guards, Sgt Titswell, 5th Dragoon Guards, Sgt Badcock, 2nd Dragoons, Scots Greys, Sgt Bilton, Royal Engineers, Sgt Minett, 14th Hussars, Sgt McGilney, 6th Dragoons.
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7:30pm #Waterloo #OnThisDay The Imperial Guard reach the ridge of Mt St Jean.
They're taking heavy casualties from shrapnel & now cannister shot from the Royal Artillery.
Wellington moves in his Infantry, mostly British Line regiments, supported by the Guards & Dutch...
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Napoleon at breakfast, Soult advised him to summon more troops, he dismissed it ‘just because you have been beaten by Wellington you regard him as a great general... I tell you that Wellington is a bad general, that the English are bad troops & that this battle will be a picnic.'
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On November 12, 1833, there was a meteor shower so intense that it was possible to see up to 100,000 meteors crossing the sky every hour. At the time, many thought it was the end of the world, so much so that it inspired this woodcut by Adolf Vollmy
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James Sharman, a seaman on press-ganged into the Royal Navy, he served on HMS Victory.
At Trafalgar he is said to have helped carry the fatally injured Nelson below deck after being hit by a musketball.
Later infirmed out of the RN he was made Keeper of the Norfolk Pillar.
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The German Kaiser-class dreadnought battleship SMS Prinzregent Luitpold being towed back to Rosyth shipyard, keel uppermost.
One of the German ships scuttled by crews in Scapa Flow in 1919 after the fleet had surrendered.
She was raised in 1931 & broken up for scrap in 1933.
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An old Soviet joke about Alexander, Hannibal & Napoleon meeting in the underworld.
A: If I had Soviet planes, I'd have conquered India
H: If I had Soviet tanks instead of elephants, I'd have conquered Rome
Napoleon: If I had Soviet press, no one would know that I lost Waterloo.
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Because @aquestingvole & I are talking LEGO today (why not?) I am reminded of the Charlemagne ship.
A 74 Gun, Temeraire class, 3rd Rate, beautifully replicated in mini-figure scale! ⚓
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Scene from the lost footage of Paul McGann as Richard Sharpe.
Also, Serjeant Harper with a water melon for some reason? 🍉
When McGann broke his leg after 1 week & continued filming it was the largest payout in filming. £££
McGann later played Lt Bush in Hornblower.
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#OnThisDay 23 January 1795, a French hussar cavalry regiment captured 14 Dutch ships that were frozen at anchor in the 2-mile stretch between Den Helder & Texel island.
The cavalry moved across the frozen Zuiderzee bay & completed their unique capture of the Dutch fleet.
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Fought #OnThisDay 23 Sept 1803 The Battle of Assaye.
Wellesley commanded 6,500 Indian & British troops against 40,000-200,000 Mahratta troops led by Hanovarian mercenary Colonel Pohlmann
Asked what his greatest vistory was, Wellington replied "ASSAYE".
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Admiral Lord Thomas Cochrane, died on this day, 31 October 1860, aged 84 in London.
"History can produce few examples of such a man or of such achievements. There have been greater heroes, because there have been heroes with greater opportunities ." (The Times)
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AI generated images of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson & Field Marshal The Duke of Wellington in modern service uniform.
Strangely I think Wellington suits MTP (British Army camouflage) quite well, with standard senior officer scruffy collar/hood.
(open source)
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When the 45th (Nottinghamshire) Regt reached the top of the parapet at Badajoz they did not have a Colour to fly, so one of their officers, Lieutenant Macpherson ran his coat up a flag-pole instead, to signify it had been captured.
This tradition is carried on today. 💂
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Which is the best depiction of a British Non Commissioned Officer NCO on screen?
Lots of iconic ones to choose from, here are just 4 of mine.
(I specifically do state British, Commonwealth included, or else we will see nothing but US Drill Sgts)
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General Sir Thomas Graham, Lord Lyndoch died #OnThisDay 18 December 1843 aged 95.
A fierce scotsman who had served through the Revolutionary & Peninsular Wars, often leading from the front & earning his place at Wellington's side, he fought a personal war too.
🧵
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Army recruiters outside the 'Mitre & Dove' public house, London 1877.
(Right to left) Sergeant Ison, 6th Dragoon Guards, Sgt Titswell, 5th Dragoon Guards, Sgt Badcock, 2nd Dragoons, Scots Greys;. Sgt Bilton, Royal Engineers, Sgt Minett, 14th Hussars, Sgt McGilney, 6th Dragoons.
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A short thread on Charles Ewart, Sgt of the Scots Greys at Waterloo, famed for his Eagle capture on the 18th June 1815.
He died #OnThisDay 23 May 1846
Born 1769 (same year as Wellington & Napoleon) in Scotland, he joined the Dragoons when he was 20.
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Veterans of Waterloo.
For many of the men, life after Waterloo difficult, unemployment was high.
Some were luckier & taken on in Chelsea.
📸1880
L to R:
Naish Hanney (b.1792)
John McKay (b.1785),
Benjamin Bumstead (b.1798),
Robert Norton (b.1790),
Sampson Webb (b.1798)
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LIFE UPDATE:
Due to my long term relationship unfortunately ending this year (still amicable), I have recently accepted a new job...
IN SCOTLAND, with the National Trust for Scotland.
A dream for me to move to a beautiful part of the world, it is bitter sweet.
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#OnThisDay 18 November 1852 the funeral of the Duke of Wellington.
Organised by Prince Albert it was one of the largest funerals ever seen, with a 10,000 strong procession from Horse Guards to St Paul's Cathedral via Apsley House through London.
A national outpouring of grief.
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Prussian Field Marshal Blücher takes possession of Napoleon's medals & hat at Genappe after the Battle of Waterloo.
Blücher was injured at Ligny.
Napoleon's sword was presented to Wellington, it is on display at Apsley House, with three scabbards captured from his carriage.
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Battle of Trafalgar, 21 October, 1805
Gun Crews in Action on the Middle Deck of HMS Victory.
Many elements of a Royal Navy gun crew can be seen here, as each man allocated had a specific role, in order to improve efficiency, speeding up the rate of fire.
(By Christa Hook)
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1854, a small group of surviving Battle of Trafalgar veterans, as a group of Greenwich Pensioners (the RN equivalent to the famous Chelsea Pensioners):
"A photograph taken by John Havers in 1854 shows a group of Pensioners, some of them wearing their recently awarded medals."
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The ensign of the Spanish Warship San Ildefonso on display this day last year, for Trafalgar Day at the National Maratime Museum.
Removed when the ship was captured at Trafalgar, it was displayed at Nelson's funeral & still shows the scars of the battle.
📸My own
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Guards defending the Gate of Hougoumont Château at the Battle of Waterloo’ (by Ernest Crofts).
Wellington is credited with saying, 'The outcome of the battle of Waterloo rested upon the closing of the gates at Hougoumont.'
The North Gates now famous for the defence.
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Napoleon at breakfast, Soult advised him to summon more troops, he dismissed it ‘just because you have been beaten by Wellington you regard him as a great general... I tell you that Wellington is a bad general, that the English are bad troops & that this battle will be a picnic.'
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“The Last Fight of the Dutch 3rd Regiment Grenadiers of the Guard”.
By Jan Hoynck van Papendrecht.
On 17 Nov 1812, during the Grande Armee’s retreat from Moscow, the Dutch 3rd Grenadier Regiment of the Imperial Guard was slaughtered by the Russian army at Krasnoë.
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French Napoleonic veterans, photographed in uniform.
The grenadier is Sergeant Taria in the uniform of the Grenadiere de la Garde of 1809–1815.
The Mameluke de la Garde is Monsieur Ducel, who fought between 1813-1815.
The photographer is unknown, date 5 May 1858 likely.
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Delighted to be able to announce that I will have a small role in the upcoming Master & Commander prequel! ⚓
It will involve HMS Victory refloated for filming.
Can't say much more at the moment, except there will be sloths, weevils & clearly fascinating nautical jokes in it.
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Closing the gates of Hougoumont.
Lt-Colonel Macdonell gathered a small group of men, they fought their way to the gate.
Macdonell secured the gates with the crossbar.
All of the French infantry (Est 30) who had entered the courtyard were killed, including Legros.
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"The outline of a fort built during the English Civil War has become visible after heavy rains caused flooding to fill a moat around the earthworks.
The Earith Bulwark was built in about 1643 at Earith... to protect crossing points on the local rivers."
bbc.com/news/uk-england-camb…
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The Battle of Austerlitz was fought #OnThisDay 2 December 1805, in modern day Czech Republic, between a Russian & Austrian force facing Napoleon's French & allied troops.
It is often cited as being one of the most influential of the era, it caused the Austrians to immediately sign an armistice.
ALT By Bogdan Willewalde (1818–1903) "Feat of Cavalry Regiment at the battle of Austerlitz in 1805" The French lost just one eagle at the Battle of Austerlitz, this happened when the Russian Horse Guard caught the 4eme Line Regiment in the open and charged them.
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Delighted to say that I will be starting with the National Trust soon.
Working at Chartwell, home of Winston Churchill & other wonderful site which are really local to me in beautiful Kent.
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Royal Marines at Trafalgar 21 Oct 1805, running low on ammunition, taking cartridges from a fallen comrade.
The Marines guarded key areas aboard ships, but in battle they fought with small arms, or manned main guns as well.
If recruitment struggled, backfilled by the Army.
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'Wellington & Blucher meet before the battle of Ligny & Quatre Bras.
The two commanders meet near Ligny (Windmill in the distance) where W & B met, promising to try to support each other IF possible. This became almost impossible.
W also advised on the ground, B ignores this.
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#OnThisDay 1805 Wellington met Nelson.
In the Colonial Office the two men met, twice.
At first Nelson's ego meant he talked about himself, Wellesley said:
Nelson spoke in "a style so vain & so silly as to surprise & almost disgust me."
On a 2nd meeting Nelson mellowed.
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The only 'photograph' of Wellington.
A Daguerreotype by Antoine Claudet, a photographic process captured onto a metal plate
Taken on 1 May 1844, to celebrate Wellington's 75th birthday, colourised it gives us a real likeness
From John Paul Getty Museum
getty.edu/art/collection/obj…
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Sad news that Christopher Plummer has passed away.
He will always be Wellington with the dry with at Waterloo.
Go in peace "Your Grace".
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#OnThisDay 23 January 1795, a French hussar cavalry regiment captured 14 Dutch ships that were frozen at anchor in the 2-mile stretch between Den Helder & Texel island.
The cavalry moved across the frozen Zuiderzee bay & completed their unique capture of the Dutch fleet.
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Closing the gates of Hougoumont.
Lt-Colonel Macdonell gathered a small group of men, they fought their way to the gate.
Macdonell secured the gates with the crossbar.
All of the French infantry (Est 30) who had entered the courtyard were killed, including Legros.
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Spanish soldiers bayoneting Lieutenant Niegolewski. Battle of Somosierra 30 Nov 1808.
Lt Niegolewski was in the charge of the 1st Regt Polish Chevau-legers in the battle.
He received 9 bayonet wounds, a blow to the head & 2 musket wounds.
Amazingly, he survived.
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Napoleon at breakfast, Soult advised him to summon more troops, he dismissed it ‘just because you have been beaten by Wellington you regard him as a great general... I tell you that Wellington is a bad general, that the English are bad troops & that this battle will be a picnic.'
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Never miss the opportunity to quote Master & Commander!
DO YOU WANT TO CALL THAT RAGGADY ASS NAPOLEON YOUR KING? NO!
Overseen on Master and Commander Holdfastposting.
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British troops marching past the historic battlefield at Waterloo on the their way to the Rhine, to later become the British Army of the Rhine.
Brooks, Ernest (Lieutenant) (Photographer)
IWM: 3386
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Napoleon summarised:
As entertainment it is OK.
Not a thrilling film.
Vanessa Kirkby might be the wrong age, but her relationship with Napoleon is interesting.
N is shown as power hungry (I'm OK with that).
Many mistakes forgivable.
BUT
Waterloo was offensively bad.
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One of my favourites; 'The Morning of Waterloo' (by James De Vine Aylward)
Shortly before inspecting the lines, Wellington stopped at the cottage on Mt St Jean & was offered hot, sweet tea from a huge camp kettle used by the men of the 95th Rifles.
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Lt James MacPherson & the 45th (Nottinghamshire) Regiment successfully stormed the Spanish fortress town of Badajoz.
Having captured a section of the defences, MacPherson took down the French flag, lacking a Union Flag, he raised his red tunic.
A tradition continuing today.
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#OnThisDay 22 July 1812, The Battle of Salamanca.
Wellington's masterstrike, after days of marching parallel with Marshal Marmont's army, he saw an opportunity & launched an attack.
The British & allies smashed into the French, in brutal fighting, capturing at least 2 Eagles.
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"Nobody told me it was against the rules to escape from exile & invade the Kingdom of the Netherlands, I would have remembered that."
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As I'm in Dorset, it is only right & proper to pay my respects to Thomas Edward Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia.
His grave, designed by his mother shows his scholarly past, not his great military exploits.
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“The Death of Admiral Churruca at Trafalgar”
I love the detail that the artist, Dumont, included.
Admiral Cosme Damián de Churruca y Elorza was onboard 'San Juan Nepomuceno', a third-rate ship of the line, 70 guns.
This painting depicts the moment at which he was struck.
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#OnThisDay 15 July 1815 Napoleon surrenders on HMS Bellerophon.
After fleeing Paris he reached the French coast at Rochefort, realising that escape was impossible.
Napoleon arriving at HMS Bellerophon, with every 'Jack Tar' sailor finding a way to watch.
(By Robert Gibb)
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Rifleman Ben Perkins. Surely no other comes close?
The combination of his death being by a betrayal (O'ROURKE!), with Harper holding him & the cries for his mother.
Even more emotion as Dan Hagman (John Tams) sings a song in tears.
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A wonderfully seditious cane.
The pommel of this walking stick casts a shadow in the silhouette of Louis XVI, possibly a secret way for loyalists who remained in France to keep their allegiances.
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This feels very apt;
Years after the wars, an old French Voltiguer sits by the fire and remembers his years of glory fighting for France.
Note some of the details to his personal & room's decorations.
By Maurice Orange.
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The 71st Highland Light Infantry skirmishing during Fuentes de Oñoro 1811.
From 1810-1814 the 71st received over 2,500 men as replacements but never fielded more than 600 in the field, such were the casualties received.
At Fuentes they were in the heart of the fighting.
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"The last stand of the Imperial Guard"
General Rowland Hill invites the Imperial Guard to surrender. The Young Guard had fought fiercely against the Prussians on the East flank, the Middle & Old Guard had been repulsed.
Many surrendered or melted away into the dusk.
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“When other Generals make mistakes their armies are beaten; when I get into a hole, my men pull me out of it.” Wellington
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I'm seeing a lot of Zulu on tonight, but who really knows how to defend a position, except a Welsh Corporal and his lost pig? Or one of the greatest military minds against the Thief of Europe, that ogre Napoleon, but Wellington himself!
Happy New Year all!
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Happy St Patrick's day to all who celebrate!
The 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment at the crossroads on Mt St Jean, South of Waterloo.
It was here 747 officers & men stood on the battlefield, largely in square, 64% (486) were killed or wounded, mostly on that one spot.
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British Infantry lying down in place on the reverse slope of the Mont St. Jean ridge to avoid some of the worst effects of direct French artillery fire at the Battle of Waterloo.
By using the reverse slope, Wellington also screened his strength.
(by Patrice Courcelle)
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