THE 14TH WELLINGTON BIVOUACS AT THE WATERLOO BATTLE FIELD

During the weekend of June 22/23 the yearly meeting and battle reconstitution of the Waterloo battle took place once again. This time I wanted to visit the Wellington's and his alleys camp (English, Scottish, Dutch and Prussians) near the Waterloo
Lion.



It was set up in the Hougoumont Farm orchard, Braine-l’Alleud. The farm is in renovation for the 200th anniversary in 2015 of the battle, after having been neglected for years and therefore became nearly a ruin. The chapel mentioned in Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables" is still destroyed and should be repaired by then too. Waterloo's mayor got it ! The historical places bring money from tourists !





Fortunately I had put adequate shoes on, because the way from the farm to the camp apparently hasn't changed in almost 200 years either. Only then the soldiers didn't arrive by car.





The camp with all the white tents and women cooking on open fire.





Then the alleys got together



Britains' General Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo in 1915, a painting by Robert Alexander Hillingford



and Wellington in 2013





When everybody was standing in line a general read a text to "Wellington"







They then marched towards me and I had to jump aside.



I admired the Scottish soldiers in their kilts (and later I saw two in Waterloo shopping in the supermarket)



The English soldiers

This is a great opportunity for tourists to get to know groups of re-enactors, have them explain the bivouacs, weapons and equipment, help to prepare meals and experience day-to-day camp life: gunfire, cannons, parades, changing of the guard and patrols.



Behind the tents which houses the horses I saw the Lion of Waterloo sitting on his hill ! The horses were beautiful.

On Sunday a parade with all soldiers (around 600) took place on Waterloo's main street. Unfortunately it rained that much, that I only waited for the French whom I hadn't seen yet.



They were the first once to march in



and were dismissed to wait for the others, so they tried to find some shelter from the rain and had their first beer, although the tent says Coca Cola !



While in 1815 the scenery was quiet different. Here is Napoleon on his white horse.


You can read more about the battle here