16:49:57
Waterloo Saturday 18th of June 2011
Ett par gånger hade vi besökt Waterloo (mest med utländska gäster) och lejonmonumentet, men detta var första gången vi var med på den årliga rekonstrunktionen av slaget vid Waterloo.
We had visited a few times the museum and the Lion Mound at Waterloo, mostly with foreign guest, but this was the first time we took part of the annual reconstruction of the battle at Waterloo.
Under dagen från nio till fem kunde man besöka bivackerna (tältlägren där alla soldaterna bodde). Under det riktiga slaget 1815 hade de flesta soldater inget tält utan de fick sova i regnet under bar himmel.
During the day from nine to five all interested could visit the bivouacs (the soldiers tent camp). During the real battle 1815 most soldiers had no tent but had to sleep on the ground in the rain.
Den skotska truppen med säckpipeblåsare och iklädda kiltar.
Vi kom på eftermiddagen (efter min franskakurs) och besökte bara en av bivackerna, den vid gården Hougoumont. Vi gick aldrig till de franska bivackerna, dem har vi sparat till nästa år.
The scottish troop with bagpipeplayers and dressed in kilts.
We came in the afternoon (after my French-course) and only visited the camp at the farm Hougoumont, we never made it to the French tentcamp (that will be for next year!).
Intressant nog fanns det också kvinnliga deltagare i detta live-evenemang. En del kvinnor (vet ej hur många) följde med i fälttågen, de var fruar till soldaterna, skötte om matlagning, tog hand om de sårade efteråt och en del deltog även i striderna genom att leverera ammunition.
In those days it was not uncommon some women followed the soldiers. (I'm not sure if they were many or a few, but they were there.) They went along with some of the soldiers as their wifes, took care of the cooking, the wounded and also supplied the fighting troops with new ammunition.
click: Four stories about brave women at the battle of Waterloo.
Det var tack vare Wayne Ladd från England som jag överhuvudtaget kom iväg till Waterloo igår. Han berättade om sin hobby för mig i mars på Facebook.
It was thanks to Wayne Ladd that I came to this event yesterday. He told me about his hobby in March on Facebook.
Totalt deltog mer än 1000 personer och mer än 120 hästar i rekonstruktionen. Evenmanget varar tre dagar.
År 2015 är det 200 år sedan slaget vid Waterloo och då kommer det att pågå under en hel vecka!
In total more than 1000 people and more than 120 horses took part in the reconstructions. The event lasts for three days. 2015 it will be 200 years since the battle at Waterloo and then it will be activities during a whole week!
Nameless officer..
Matlagningsgummor? / The cookingstaff?
Wellingtons högkvarter var välbevakat. / The HQ of Wellington was well guarded.
Napoleons trupper närmar sig. Skådespelet började 18:30. Vädret var minst sagt växlande...
The troops of Napoleon are approaching. The show started at 18:30. the weather was changing the whole time...
Publikens utrymme. Till 2015 kanske det vore en ide att sätta upp tribuner som man får betala 10-12 euro extra för? Det skulle kunna bli en bra extra inkomstkälla.
The area for the audience. For 2015 it could perhaps be an idea to set up tribunes which you pay 10-12 euro extra for? It could be a good extra income to finance it all.
En del av det franska kavalleriet. / Part of the French cavallery.
Det var ganska fantastiskt att stå intill stängselt och se dem galoppera förbi i full fart med sablarna i högsta hugg!
It was quite fantastic to stand next to the fence and see them passing by in full galop with their swords drawn!
Fransk truppförflyttning. I verkligheten såg det lite annorlunda ut med tanke på att slaget innefattade inte mindre än 190 000 soldater totalt, varav 72 000 fransmän. Under rekonstruktionen försöker man följa några av de rörelser som de olika grupperingarna gjorde. Bl.a. imiterades det franska kavalleriets attacker på grupper av allierade soldater som slutit sig i kvadrat med lansar och bajonetterna utåt. Dessa "igelkottar" blev för svåra för kavalleriet att bryta sig igenom och var en av Wellingtons försvarsstrategier.
French troup moving forward. In reality this picture was quite different when you think of that the battle contained no less than 190 000 soldiers in total, of them 72 000 were French. During the reconstruction they try to follow some of the movements the different groups made. Among others the attacks of the French cavallery on groups of allied soldiers which had formed "squares" with lances and bayonets pointing out. These "hedgehogs" became too difficult for the cavallery to beat and was one of Wellingtons defence strategies.
Painting of the battle of Waterloo from beginning of the 19th century
(klicka på bilden så blir den större / click on the picture and you get the original size)
Under rekonstruktionen smällde man av både tidsenliga kanoner och musköter. Det smällde och rök rejält från allt svartkrut. Under det riktiga slaget användes hundratals kanoner. Men först den sista halvtimmen började det dyka upp "sårade" efter sammandrabbningarna. Jag antar att just den delen inte är så rolig att spela...
Vill du veta hur många som dog eller blev sårade kan du läsa mera på Wikipedia.
During the reconstruction they used both canons and muscets typical for that time. The noise and the smoke from the guns and the gunpowder was immense. During the real battle hundreds of canons were used. First the last halfhour one started to see "wounded" after the fights. I guess that part is less fun to play...
If you want to know how many that died and got wounded you can read more on Wikipedia.
Battle of Waterloo
When I reached Lloyd's abandoned guns, I stood near them for about a minute to contemplate the scene: it was grand beyond description. Hougoumont and its wood sent up a broad flame through the dark masses of smoke that overhung the field; beneath this cloud the French were indistinctly visible. Here a waving mass of long red feathers could be seen; there, gleams as from a sheet of steel showed that the cuirassiers were moving; 400 cannon were belching forth fire and death on every side; the roaring and shouting were indistinguishably commixed—together they gave me an idea of a labouring volcano. Bodies of infantry and cavalry were pouring down on us, and it was time to leave contemplation, so I moved towards our columns, which were standing up in square.
Det är märkligt... så fort ett krig försvinner in i historiens dimma blir det mer intressant än fruktansvärt. Trots att jag läser om hur många som dog, trots att jag hörde ögonvittnen från andra världskriget berätta om t.ex. hungervintern i Haag, så fylls jag ändå inte av samma avsky som kring det som händer nu. Kriget i Libyen, attentaten i Irak och demonstranterna som dödas i Syrien. Varför känns våldet som har skett för längesedan aldrig lika verkligt?
It is strange... as soon as a war disappears into the fogs of history it becomes more interesting than awful. Although I read about how many people that died or listened to the eyewitnesses telling me about the hungerwinter in the Hague, I'm not filled to the same degree with disgust compared to what is happening now. The war in Libya, the bombs in Iraq and the killed protesters in Syria. Why does the violence done long ago never feel as real as what is happening now?
//Josephine