About this Event
Waterloo Association Midlands Event
Saturday 5th July
The Court House, Warwick, Jury St., CV344EW
10 am to 4pm
Registration begins at 9.30. Coffee/tea available on arrival. The venue is fully accessible.
10.00 – 10.15 Introductions
10.15 - 11.30 Andrew Field: The arrival of the Prussians and the battle for Planchenoit
The French attacks on Hougoumont, d’Erlon’s attack, the great cavalry charges and the attack of the Imperial Guard are very familiar to all British Waterloo enthusiasts. What is not so well known is the challenging Prussian march to Wellington’s support and their attack on the village of Planchenoit in the French right rear. Despite overwhelming odds, the French conducted a skilful and stubborn defence which was only overcome after the village had changed hands several times. In his talk Andrew will examine this attack in detail based on both Prussian and French primary sources.
After his retirement from the army, Andrew has become a historian and author. He has written seven books on the battle of Waterloo, most with a French perspective. He is a regular presenter to the Waterloo Association and has led a number of tours across the whole campaign area. A member of the historical advisory committee to the Waterloo battlefield management company, he took a leading role in the development of the new exhibition in Hougoumont farm.
11.30 – 12.45 Paul Chamberlain: Escape and Evasion by French prisoners of war 1803-1814
From 1803 to 1815 a total of 122,440 prisoners of war of many nationalities were held in the War Pr*son system in Britain: on board the hulks, in the Land Depots and in the Parole towns around the country. Many were happy to remain in captivity, while there were those who attempted to escape. This presentation examines the reasons for escape (that were many and varied), how the prisoner escaped or ‘Run’ from the depots, where they escaped to, and who assisted them. This includes the smuggling gangs along the south coast who saw escaped French prisoners as a lucrative business venture. It will also look at other ways prisoners could get out of the system: volunteering for British service, doing a favour for the British authorities, and even bravely taking on a lion!
Paul was a Government Scientist before retirement and has had an interest in the Napoleonic period since childhood, with a particular interest in the prisoners of war of that conflict. He is member of the Committee of the Waterloo Association and Editor in Chief of The Napoleon Series website. He was a member of the Norman Cross Eagle Appeal that restored the memorial to the 1,770 prisoners who died at the Norman Cross Pr*son Depot 1797-1814 and a consultant for the Time Team dig at Norman Cross in 2009. Since Nene Park Trust took responsibility for the Norman Cross Depot site, Paul is a consultant for the development of the presentation of the story of the Pr*son, training staff and volunteers. He has published two books on the subject and regularly presents talks on Napoleonic subjects around the country.
12.45 – 13.30 Lunch
(not provided. There are many outlets nearby and space to eat sandwiches etc.)
13.30 - 14.45 John Morewood: The Battle of Trafalgar and Warwickshire
In the years leading up to and following the 200th anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar, research revealed many new aspects of the Trafalgar campaign. In this talk we will outline the four battles of the campaign and the role that the 200 men from Warwickshire played.
Dr John Morewood read Modern History at Oxford University before pursuing a career in Human Resources in the financial sector. He is Hon Secretary of The Waterloo Association. He authored 'Waterloo General - the Life Letters and Mysterious death of Sir William Ponsonby 1772-1815' which was nominated in The Evening Standard as a best read in 2016. He is currently working on a book on The Royal Navy's role in the Peninsular War. His first co-authored book was ‘HMS Vanguard at the Nile, the men, the ship, the battle’ produced for the Nelson Society in 1998.
14.45 – 16.00 Paul Brunyee: Letters from the 1808 - 1812, the letters of Sir William Warre
Paul is well known to members of the WA and those with an interest in the period. He is a member of the WA council and editor of the Waterloo Journal. He has written extensively on the battle and regularly gives talks on the subject.
Paul’s talk will be based on the letters of Sir William Warre. They were originally published by his nephew in 1909 and reprinted many years later. He saw a great deal of action from Corunna onwards principally as a staff officer to Marshal Beresford - he was also a fluent Portuguese speaker.
16.00 Close
Cost £10 for members, £15 for non-members
Booking is essential
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Court House Warwick - Venue, Jury Street, Warwick, United Kingdom
GBP 10.00 to GBP 15.00
