Archaeology breakthrough after ‘highly unusual’ discovery at Battle of Waterloo site

An astonishing breakthrough at the site of the Battle of Waterloo has led to a brand new dig taking place to find out more about the famous conflict.

The conflict that happened in June 1815 was between Napoleon’s French Army and a coalition led by the Duke of Wellington – who led the British Army – and Marshal Blücher. 

It concluded a war that had raged for 23 years and ended French attempts to dominate Europe, destroying Napoleon’s imperial power forever.

It took place in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium, and in 2022 an excavation at the site of a former field hospital at Mont-Saint-Jean farm discovered horses which had been executed and buried alongside a human skeleton.

The discovery was the second complete human skeleton ever excavated on the Belgian battlefield and the amputated limbs of wounded men and the skeletons of three horses were also found at the site.

Now veteran support charity Waterloo Uncovered will carry out a targeted excavation in September to uncover the full extent of the burial pit in an attempt to establish what happened to the dead, reports PA.

Historical evidence suggests a motive for the amputations: that many skeletons were dug up and ground down to be used as fertiliser and in the production of sugar.

The discovery of skeletons on the battlefield was described as “a highly unusual and historically significant occurrence” by archaeologists.

Professor Tony Pollard of the University of Glasgow, and the project’s archaeological director, said: “It’s an incredibly exciting site – the presence of amputated limbs, a complete human burial and remains of euthanised horses in one trench make the site at Mont-Saint-Jean truly unique.

“Finding horses, which had been put out of their misery by shots to the head, and humans buried alongside each other, especially with the care and separation evident in this trench, is extremely rare.”

From September 3 to 13 the international team of military veterans, serving personnel, archaeologists and volunteers will continue work at the site.

Waterloo Uncovered’s chief executive officer Abigail Boyle said: “Waterloo Uncovered supports veterans with their recovery and transition into civilian life.

“On site, veterans and serving beneficiaries will learn key transferable archaeological skills, which will provide pathways into education, employment, or simply enable them to enjoy archaeology as a hobby.

“Even professional archaeologists rarely get to work on a site of this calibre – it’s really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”