What began as a small local study of two Fordham men who served at Waterloo, evolved into a talk about Essex and the Napoleonic Wars. The talk sets the scene with a brief talk about the 7 coalitions and then there is a comparison of the two leaders Napoleon and Wellington. Maps show us the main attacks and how the two protagonists came together. We will look at some of the archaeology which has helped us understand more of the final day including the Waterloo Uncovered Project and Hougoumont Project. Returning to Essex we learn how Essex prepared for invasions with the building of Martelo Towers and look at Colchester and Weeley and a very interesting Ardleigh document in a little more detail. Finally we hear about two men from Fordham who served at Waterloo and are buried locally.
