Thursday 18 June 2015

JUNE 18TH - A BIT OF A SKIRMISH

 
"It's June 18th 2015," said Mr N, "Should we celebrate?"
"I certainly hope so!"
"200 hundred years since that great day."
"Well none of us is getting any younger, but that's a bit insulting."
"It's 200 years since England won the battle of Waterloo, dear."
 
"AND my birthday. Even though I'm a pacifist, I have an appropriate day out in mind. The Royal Armouries in Leeds have some interesting Waterloo stuff on show, including a painting of the battle by Lady Butler. I used to know a boy who wrote a book about her..."
" Very funny! And that "boy" will be a grizzled pensioner by now."
 
"Scotland Forever!" by Lady Butler.
 



 
The fantastic Waterloo Cartoon is part of the exhibition. This is a huge preparatory drawing for "The Meeting of Wellington and Blucher" by Daniel Maclise. It measures over 13 metres wide.
 
No cause for celebration
 
Outside there was to be a military parade...
 
 
...if only they could remove the bollards.



 
Here they go!
 
 
 
The afternoon ended on a jolly note.
 
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6 comments:

  1. Fascinating post and pictures. I wonder what the men that fought at Waterloo would make of the exhibition - and its environment (which they helped to create). A very happy (belated) birthday to you! "Bit of a skirmish" indeed!

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  2. Amazing blog and very interesting stuff you got here! I definitely learned a lot from reading through some of your earlier posts as well and decided to drop a comment on this one!

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  3. Hope it was a great birthday Nilly. There seemed to be plenty of Waterloo commemorations here in France.....maybe they have a different version to us....Jx

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  4. Interesting and amusing, as usual, Nilly. Must get over to Leeds asap.

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    1. Thank you for visiting dear Germy - your ever-loving bro' Germolloyd sends his love!

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