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Qatre Bras and Waterloo

On June 16th and 17th 2001, an historical battle took place at Qatre Bras and La Haye Sainte, Waterloo.

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In true Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy fashion, the battle, a rather bloody and gory affair, has also 'happened' in over a million parallel Universes.

By amazing good fortune for those who lived nearby,the battle also happened in a small valley just five minutes away from the Town centre of Farnham in Surrey which incidentally is not very far from Guildford where Ford Prefect pretended to come from.

The inhabitants of this place, Farnham in Surrey,  normally docile  and mostly harmless commuters to their Capital City during the week were awakened to the sound of artillery fire, which made them very curious indeed and some were drawn to the small valley behind Farnham Castle called Castle Coombe.

Of course on the Saturday it rained cats and dogs, snakes and all manner of slimy things which made the hill very slippery indeed and made many of the locals think to themselves 'I wonder wot's on telly' rather than let their curiosity take them on to an unparalleled couple of days journey through time.

Those of course who did come were greeted by a fabulous display of horsemanship, artillery gunfire and pyrotechnics, not to mention the colourful variety of uniform and battledress. They also returned home at the end of the day with an overwhelming sense of well being.

Perhaps a few pictures describe the weekend  more fully.

farnshraps.jpg (148433 bytes) Here is Shrapnel's Battery

Feeling rather ebullient after a day's battle and a lunch of army grub. A roll call is probably in order. From the left:        

John Boshier, Steve Bone, Dave Haslam, Brian Miller, Dave Miller, John Wardley and Gerald Miller.

Would you believe that none of the Miller's are related!

 

 

As the Battle raged the clouds grew heavier and  the fire ever more dangerous. The French far outnumbered the British at Qatre bras cross roads but hesitated to use their overwhelming force until too late as the British brought up more men and guns. The result was a stalemate. farnfrnchffire.jpg (149112 bytes)

 

farnfrenchgun.jpg (64629 bytes) The French artillery bombardment kept up a steady pace during most of the battle.

 

We were treated to a magnificent display by these men and their handsome horses. It was clear to see that the horses were enjoying the day as much as anyone else, with frequent gallops up and down the field. Artillery fire provoked quite some excitement.

Come along next year and see for yourself.

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Farninf.jpg (151527 bytes) The infantry marching from the battlefield. The Connaught Rangers (88th foot) are the locals here and have appeared at many engagements since their founding only a few year's ago.

 

In the camp the French infantry check their equipment before going to battle. The French equivalent of the Brown Bess was the Charleville musket. This lot have only just got up, look you can see some still in their pyjama bottoms. riflecheck.JPG (148142 bytes)

 

farnfrnchsqr.jpg (64159 bytes) A battle scene is more dangerous than it looks. This is a 'Square', a small one but an effective defence when being overrun. A field cannon at each end would help in the defence, but if things got too hot then the Bombardiers would run into the centre of the square and stand with the infantry. Look! there's someone trying to make a break for it.

 

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We  thought a few close-ups were in order

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Many thanks to Rob Anderson who did a splendid job  of organising the whole thing. Mike Grove of the 1st Royal Dragoons the Event Officer, Paul Elliot of L'Artillerie Legere the Powder Officer. Thanks also to Kevin Davids, John Theis and Hugh Winter. We look forward to next year's event in the glorious sunshine.

Apologies to our visitors who were expecting some pictures of the event to be up sooner. Chronosynclastic infundibulae are not always predictable and although these pictures were available nearly two hundred years ago, they can take forever to get down BTs lines.

 

Send mail to Bombardier@shrapnelsbattery.co.uk with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: January 19, 2003         Web site design and content © John Court