Wellington School commemorated the Battle of Waterloo in fitting style this week.
With kind permission from The National Trust, teams of Year 5 and 6 pupils from Wellington Prep School travelled up to the Wellington Monument with Historian Kevin Hicks (History Squad). Kevin was dressed as a British “Redcoat” for the Napoleonic era and regaled the pupils with fascinating facts and gory details of life as a soldier in that period. He took with him a ‘Brown Bess’ as the muskets of the time were known, and all the children covered their ears as it was fired. They were all fascinated to hear that soldiers in the Battle of Waterloo were deaf for four days after, due to overwhelming noise of the muskets firing.
Kevin spent the rest of the day back at Wellington School recounting his stories to Year 7 and 8 pupils.
Wellington’s association with The Iron Duke is well established. The first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley took his name from the town and nearby Wellington Hill boasts the Wellington Monument – a large, spot-lit obelisk to his honour. It is a floodlit 175 feet (53 m) high triangular tower designated by English Heritage as a grade II* listed building. It was erected to celebrate the Duke of Wellington’s victory at the Battle of Waterloo. The foundation stone was laid in 1817, on land belonging to the Duke, but the monument was not completed until 1854. It is now owned by the National Trust.