As the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo approaches, a stunning discovery was made near the site of the Lion’s Mound – the intact skeleton of a British soldier. Crews were working on constructing a parking lot when a piece of equipment uncovered the remains, unfortunately destroying the skull in the process. However, other artifacts were uncovered along with the bones: a spoon, coins and the musket ball believed to have caused his death still between his ribs. Historians believe he is from one of the Duke of Wellington’s British regiments, and described the discovery of the skeleton as one of the best ever war finds.
Yves Van Der Cruysen, director of the Battle of Waterloo Association, said: ‘This is a major discovery. “It is the first time for over a hundred years that a complete corpse of a combatant from the time has been discovered in such a good state.”
“He could have been buried by a comrade or simply missed when the bodies were gathered up after the battle for burial. We hope to find evidence of his regiment from the spoon and the leather epaulets that were found with the corpse. And we know the names of the combatants thanks to military records of the time. When the soldier’s regiment can be determined we should be able to find his identity.”
But…where is his skull?!
It's a great story, but I can't help wondering why they need to build a car-park on top of a site likely to contain the remains of combatants?