Misplaced Pages

#483516

63-474: Hougoumont, which had become dilapidated, was fully restored in time for the 200th anniversary of the battle and opened to the public on 18 June 2015. Hougoumont has been described as being a lot bigger than La Haye Sainte , a nearby farmhouse. This farmhouse consists of, encompassed by a high-standing wall, the main house, numerous barns, stables, a chapel, and several other features and buildings, including an orchard and garden. The buildings are connected through

126-593: A Driver of the Royal Waggon Train distinguished himself by driving an ammunition cart through the French lines to resupply the troops despite his horses receiving wounds. The French attack in the immediate vicinity of the farm was repulsed by the arrival of the 2nd battalion Coldstream Guards and 2/3rd Foot Guards. Fighting continued around Hougoumont all afternoon with its surroundings heavily invested with French light infantry and coordinated cavalry attacks sent against

189-672: A Georgian Rake , William Hickey describes a detachment from the "Third Regiment of Guards, principally Scotchmen" dispersing a crowd attempting to release the radical politician, John Wilkes from prison in 1768. In April 1809, the 1st Battalion was sent to the Iberian Peninsula , and served in the Peninsular War in Portugal and Spain. It took part in the crossing of the River Douro on 12 May, an operation that ended so successfully that

252-438: A battery by making holes in the garden-wall; here is another well, in which were found 73 men; the trees in the orchard were peppered very much; the ditch around this orchard was used as a battery, and hundreds killed; saw 84 other pieces of cannon taken from the enemy; they took home only 12 guns; counted 40 graves, containing English officers, in one acre of ground, resembling dung-heaps". Hougoumont remained an active farm until

315-465: A company of engineers and captured La Haye Sainte with a furious assault. "The light battalion of the German Legion, which occupied it, had expended all its ammunition" and had to retreat. Allied forces were unable to counterattack immediately as they were in squares over the ridge. The French brought up guns to fire from its cover however British riflemen of the 1/95 in the "sand pit" to the east of

378-554: A furious attack upon our post at Hougoumont". Other sources state that this attack was at about 11:30. The historian Andrew Roberts notes that "It is a curious fact about the battle of Waterloo that no one is absolutely certain when it actually began". The initial attack by Maréchal de Camp Pierre François Bauduin 's 1st Brigade of the 6th Division emptied the wood and park, but was driven back by heavy British artillery fire and cost Bauduin his life. The British guns were distracted into an artillery duel with French guns and this allowed

441-452: A second attack by Maréchal de Camp Baron Soye's 2nd Brigade of the 6th Division. They managed a small breach on the south side but could not exploit it. An attack on the north side by elements of the 1st Brigade of the 6th Division was more successful. This attack led to one of the most famous skirmishes in the Battle of Waterloo — Sous-Lieutenant Legros, wielding an axe, managed to break through

504-474: A system of stone walls with wooden gates. Waterloo Tourisme described it as “the best preserved in terms of how it looked after the Battle [of Waterloo].” The first mention of Hougoumont is found on the 1777 map of the Austrian Netherlands created by Comte Joseph de Ferraris , marked as "Chateau Hougoumont". This is believed to be a corruption of "Chateau Goumont", a name first recorded in an act of

567-556: A unit raised in 1642 by Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll in response to the 1641 Irish Rebellion . After the Restoration of Charles II, the Earl of Linlithgow received a commission dated 23 November 1660 to raise a regiment which was called The Scottish Regiment of Footguards. It served in the 1679 Covenanter rising of 1679, as well as Argyll's Rising in June 1685, after which it

630-485: A well at Hougoumont. Several historians have noted that an archaeological dig of the well by Derick Saunders in 1985 turned up no human remains in a well rediscovered at the site. In doing so, they state that it debunks a myth made popular by Hugo. A popular account of the battle by John Booth published in London shortly after the battle includes a diary entry by an early gentleman tourist to the site. The tourist records that he

693-669: Is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army . Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland . Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Kingdom of Scotland , although it was only placed on the English Establishment in 1686. The regiment now known as the Scots Guards traces its origins to the Marquis of Argyll's Royal Regiment,

SECTION 10

#1732851064484

756-739: The 1745 Rising ; an engraving by William Hogarth shows them marching to take up defensive positions in North London. However, the Jacobite army turned back at Derby , and in July 1747, the Second Battalion was sent to Flanders , where it fought at Lauffeld , before the war ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle . In the absence of a modern police force, the military was often used for crowd control; in Memoirs of

819-688: The Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro in May 1811, the Battle of Salamanca in July 1812, the Siege of San Sebastián in Summer 1813 and the Battle of the Nive in December 1813. At the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, the Scots Guards were positioned on the ridge just behind Hougoumont . Their light companies, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel James Macdonnell , held Hougoumont Farm throughout

882-530: The Council of Brabant , who subsequently enlarged the property considerably. In 1562 the estate became the property of Pierre Quarré and stayed in the Quarré family until 1637 when it was bought by Arnold Schuyl, Lord of Walhorn. It was around this time that the present building was erected. After 1671 the domain became the property of Jan Arrazola de Oñate , chamberlain of Archdukes Albert and Isabella . It remained in

945-669: The First Battle of Ypres in November 1914, the Battle of Aubers Ridge in May 1915 and the Battle of Loos in September 1915. In July 1916 the Scots Guards took part in the first Battle of the Somme and in July 1917, the regiment began its involvement in the Battle of Passchendaele . In March 1918 they fought at the second Battle of the Somme and in Autumn the regiment took part in the final battles of

1008-452: The King's German Legion was brought forward to defend the hollow way, which they had to do without any senior officers, who were then relieved by the 71st Foot , a Scottish light infantry regiment. Adam's brigade, further reinforced by Hugh Halkett's 3rd (Hanoverian) Brigade, successfully repulsed further infantry and cavalry attacks sent by Reille and maintained the occupation of Hougoumont until

1071-743: The London Regiment at Rochester Row, Westminster became G (Messines) Company, Scots Guards. Regular Recruits to the Guards Division go through a thirty-week training programme at the Infantry Training Centre (ITC). The training is two weeks more than the training for the Regular line infantry regiments of the British Army; the extra training, carried out throughout the course, is devoted to drill and ceremonies. King Edward VII assumed

1134-566: The London Regiment transferred to foot guards regiments and the company became G (Messines) Company, Scots Guards, 1st Battalion London Guards. The Scots Guards and other Guards regiments have a long-standing connection to the Parachute Regiment . Guardsmen who have completed the P company selection course are transferred into the Guards Parachute Platoon, which is part of 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment . This continues

1197-772: The War of the Spanish Succession ; retitled The Third Regiment of Foot Guards , it moved to London in 1712, and did not return to Scotland for another 100 years. During the 1740-1748 War of the Austrian Succession , the First Battalion served at Dettingen in 1743 and Fontenoy in April 1745, a British defeat famous for the Gardes françaises and Grenadier Guards inviting each other to fire first. Both battalions were in London during

1260-449: The allodial court of Brabant in 1358. Also, in 1356, there is mention of the "tenure and house of Gomont" in the seigneury of Braine-l'Alleud . According to Sir Walter Scott who visited the battlefield in January 1816, "Hougoumont (a name bestowed, I believe, by a mistake of our great commander [Wellington], but which will certainly supersede the more proper one of Chateau-Goumont) is

1323-529: The armoured infantry role. 1st Battalion will be equipped with Mastiff Vehicles (and later the Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV)) under Army 2020 Refine and be under the first Strike Brigade. The 1st Battalion will not rotate public ceremonial duties unlike the other guards regiments with F Company performing that role. Following the Integrated Review A (London Scottish) Company of

SECTION 20

#1732851064484

1386-579: The 1st Battalion deployed to Iraq on a 6-month posting as part of 4th Armoured Brigade . The 4th Brigade relieved the 1st Mechanised Brigade , and joined the Multi-National Division (South East) that was under British command. In 2021, the 1st Battalion moved to Somme Barracks, Catterick Garrison as part of the Army 2020 Refine reforms. On 1 May 2022 (delayed from the originally intended 1 April 2022), soldiers in A (The London Scottish) Company,

1449-687: The 1st Battalion undertook two tours in Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation . Both the 1st and 2nd Battalion deployed to Northern Ireland during the Troubles in the early 1970s. In 1992, during their time in Northern Ireland, the Scots Guards were involved in the contentious shooting of civilian Peter McBride: two soldiers were convicted of murder. During the Falklands War in 1982

1512-565: The 2nd Battalion of the Scots Guards was deployed to Malaya (now part of Malaysia ) to crush a Communist-inspired and pro-independence uprising during a conflict known as the Malayan Emergency . The 2nd Battalion performed a variety of duties, such as guarding duties, patrols into the dense jungle, and assaults upon MNLA guerrillas. The battalion was involved in an incident known as the Batang Kali massacre , in which they were responsible for

1575-545: The 2nd Battalion suffered heavy casualties in tough fighting. The 1st Battalion, as part of its brigade, joined the 6th South African Armoured Division in May 1944. The regiment took part in many fierce engagements throughout 1944, including those against the Gothic Line , a formidable defensive line. In the years following the Second World War the Scots Guards saw action in a number of Britain's colonial wars. In 1948,

1638-623: The 2nd Battalion took part in the defensive Battle of Medenine , after the Germans had counter-attacked the Allies. In September 1943, the 2nd Battalion, as part of the 201st Guards Brigade of the 56th (London) Division , took part in the Landing at Salerno . In December 1943, the 1st Battalion, as part of 24th Guards Brigade, arrived in the Italian Theatre . At the Battle of Monte Cassino in early 1944,

1701-510: The Allied centre. However, Napoleon was too late—by this time, Blücher and the Prussian army had arrived on the battlefield and the outnumbered French army was defeated. La Haye Sainte was originally built before 1536. Much of the complex was rebuilt in the 1700s. The road leads from La Belle Alliance , where Napoleon had his headquarters on the morning of the battle, through where the centre of

1764-591: The Baker rifle but the latter was more accurate and had about twice the range of a musket. At 13:00, the French Grand Battery of heavy artillery opened fire before d'Erlon 's Corps (54th and 55th Ligne) marched forward in columns. The French managed to surround La Haye Sainte and despite taking heavy casualties from the garrison, they attacked the centre left of Wellington's line. As the centre began to give way and La Haye Sainte became vulnerable, Picton 's division

1827-557: The Brussels side of the ridge, he failed to take La Haye Sainte. During the battle, the KGL were supported by the 1/2 Nassau Regiment and the light company of the 5th Line Battalion KGL . At 17:30, Napoleon re-issued orders for Ney to take La Haye Sainte. The French had worked up close to the buildings by this time. At 18:00 Marshal Ney, heavily supported by artillery and some cavalry, took personal command of an infantry regiment (13th Legere) and

1890-556: The French Army were in full retreat to Amarante after the actions in Oporto and its surrounding areas. In late July 1809 the regiment took part in the Battle of Talavera , one of the bloodiest and most bitter of engagements during the war. The 2nd Battalion's flank companies took part in the disastrous Walcheren Campaign in the Low Countries . The 1st Battalion went on to take part in

1953-409: The French front line was located, to a crossroads on the ridge which is at the top of the escarpment and then on to Brussels. The Duke of Wellington placed the majority of his forces on either side of the Brussels road behind the ridge on the Brussels side. This kept most of his forces out of sight of the French artillery . Both Napoleon and Wellington made crucial mistakes about La Haye Sainte as it

Hougoumont - Misplaced Pages Continue

2016-490: The French retreat, La Haye Sainte was recaptured by the Allies, some time before 21:00, when Blücher met Wellington at La Belle Alliance . La Haye Sainte has changed very little since the Battle of Waterloo. Today it is privately owned. On the walls are memorials to the King's German Legion and the French. Opposite the house is a monument for the officers and the soldiers of the KGL. Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG)

2079-411: The French. The next day (18 June 2015) Hougoumont was opened to the public on the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. 50°40′14.27″N 4°23′41.28″E  /  50.6706306°N 4.3948000°E  / 50.6706306; 4.3948000 La Haye Sainte La Haye Sainte (named either after Jesus ' crown of thorns or a nearby bramble hedge ) is a walled farmhouse compound at

2142-452: The allies' right flank, were garrisoned and fortified by the 1st Battalion, 2nd Nassau Regiment, with additional detachments of jägers and landwehr from von Kielmansegge's 1st (Hanoverian) Brigade. The light company of the 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards under the command of Lt-Colonel Henry Wyndham , was also stationed in the farm and chateau, and the light company of the 2nd Battalion, Third Guards , under Lt-Colonel Charles Dashwood in

2205-710: The battle, a key defensive position on the right flank of the Allied army. The 1st Battalion, part of the 1st (Guards) Brigade of the 1st Division , was part of the British Expeditionary Force which arrived in France in 1914. The Battalion took part in the Battle of Mons in August 1914, the First Battle of the Marne in September 1914 and the Battle of the Aisne also in September 1914. The 1st and 2nd Battalions then took part in

2268-483: The chateau became an epicenter of fighting in the Battle of Waterloo as it was one of the first places where British and other allied forces faced Napoleon's Army. Napoleon planned to draw Wellington 's reserve to Wellington's right flank in defence of Hougoumont and then attack through the centre left of the British and allies' front near La Haye Sainte . Before the battle started, Hougoumont and its gardens, located on

2331-418: The colonelcy-in-chief of the regiment on his accession, and subsequent monarchs have also been colonel-in-chief. Regimental Colonels have included: For many years a Colonel was given the full-time appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Commanding the regiment. After 1986 a Lieutenant Colonel was appointed, but in 1989 the role was retitled Regimental Lieutenant Colonel; this was an honorary appointment, filled by

2394-506: The custodian of the colours and traditions of the 2nd Battalion, which was placed in permanent suspended animation in 1993 as a result of Options for Change . F Company was formerly part of the 2nd Bn as its 'support weapons company', operating mortars, anti-tank weapons, and reconnaissance vehicles. The regiment consists of a single operational battalion, which was based in Catterick between 2008 and 2015, thereafter moving to Aldershot in

2457-525: The end of the 20th century. In 2003 a settlement was reached between Count Guibert d'Oultremont, owner of the farm, and the Regional Authority after which it became the property of the Intercommunale (1815). By June 2006, the farm appeared to be derelict. The walls, which were once near pristine white, had become a dirty yellow. Several walls were cracked and parts were clearly damaged, most notably

2520-456: The end of the battle. The Hougoumont battle has often been characterised as a diversionary attack to cause Wellington to move reserves to his threatened right flank to protect his communications, but this then escalated into an all-day battle which drew in more and more French troops but just a handful of Wellington's, having the exact opposite effect to that intended. In fact there is a good case that both Napoleon and Wellington thought Hougoumont

2583-628: The execution of 24 unarmed civilians. By the time the battalion left Malaya in 1951 and returned home, it had lost thirteen soldiers. By late 1951, the 1st Battalion was deployed to Cyprus ; and in February 1952, the battalion deployed to the Suez Canal Zone , Egypt . In February 1962, the 2nd Battalion arrived in Kenya , and operated in support of the civil power during the Mau Mau Uprising . In 1965

Hougoumont - Misplaced Pages Continue

2646-577: The farm picked off all the gunners, so the guns were ineffective. At 19:00, thanks to the French garrison in La Haye Sainte, the Imperial Guard was able to climb the escarpment and attack the Allies on the Brussels side of the ridge. This final attack was beaten back and became a rout around 20:10 as the French forces realised that with the arrival of the Prussians from the east, they were beaten. During

2709-443: The foot of an escarpment near Waterloo , Belgium, on the N5 road connecting Brussels and Charleroi . It has changed very little since it played a crucial part in the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815. La Haye Sainte was defended by about 400 King's German Legion troops during the Battle of Waterloo. Being greatly outnumbered by attacking French forces, the defenders held out until

2772-454: The fortification of the nearby Hougoumont farmhouse. This meant that the strengthening of the farm’s defences would have to be largely improvised. The majority of the King's German Legion troops were armed with the Baker rifle with rifled barrels , as opposed to the standard smoothbore Brown Bess musket of the British Army. The French troops also used muskets which were quicker to load than

2835-469: The funds for much-needed repairs and sold the chateau to François de Robiano . Through successive marriages and inheritances within the de Robiano family the estate eventually became the property of the d'Oultremont family in 1917. In 2003 it was sold by Count Guibert d'Oultremont to the Belgian Region of Wallonia through an intercommunal cooperative society, Bataille de Waterloo 1815. In June 1815

2898-467: The funds in return for being allowed to rent part of the property (the Game Keeper's Cottage). Charles, Prince of Wales , unveiled a memorial at Hougoumont on 17 June 2015 dedicated to the British soldiers who fought in the battle. The memorial by Vivien Mallock stands next to the north gate and shows two life-size soldiers struggling to close the critical gates of the farm to save it from being overrun by

2961-450: The garden and grounds. The two light companies of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, First Guards were initially positioned in the orchard, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Saltoun . Lieutenant-Colonel James Macdonell , Coldstream Guards, had overall command of Hougoumont. (The Guards units were all drawn from General John Byng's 2nd (British) Brigade.) Wellington recorded in his despatches "at about ten o'clock [Napoleon] commenced

3024-439: The hands of these Lords of Gomont and Tiberchamps until 1791 when Jan-André Arrazola de Oñate died childless at the age of 73. His wife remarried with Phillipe Gouret de Louville, a major in the service of Austria. Ridder de Louville did not live in the chateau in 1815 but left the management to Antoine Dumonceau who laid out a splendid French formal garden . After the battle, the then 86 years old Ridder de Louville did not have

3087-415: The house never contained a large number of troops, Wellington devoted 21 battalions (12,000 troops) over the course of the afternoon to keeping the hollow way open to allow fresh troops and ammunition to be admitted to the house. He also moved several artillery batteries from his hard-pressed centre to support Hougoumont. In his novel Les Misérables , Victor Hugo describes how 300 bodies were thrown down

3150-472: The late afternoon when they retired as their ammunition had run out. If Napoleon Bonaparte 's army had captured La Haye Sainte earlier in the day, he would have almost certainly broken through the allied centre and defeated the Duke of Wellington 's army. The capture of La Haye Sainte in the early evening then gave the French the advantage of a defensible position from which to launch a potentially decisive attack on

3213-514: The lineage of the No. 1 (Guards) Independent Parachute Company, who were the original Pathfinder Group of the 16th Parachute Brigade . The Scots Guards is ranked as the third regiment in the Guards Division . As such, Scots Guardsmen can be recognized by having the buttons on their tunics spaced in threes. They also do not wear hackles (plumes) in their bearskins, unlike the other Foot Guards. Since 1993, F Company , permanently based in Wellington Barracks, London on public duties , has been

SECTION 50

#1732851064484

3276-413: The main force of the Scots Guards began its advance on the western side of Mount Tumbledown . During the course of the battle in the early hours of 14 June 1982, men of the 2nd Battalion "wearing berets instead of helmets" launched a bayonet charge on the redoubtable Argentinian defenders, which resulted in bitter and bloody fighting, and was one of the last bayonet charges by the British Army. In 2004,

3339-403: The men to begin fortifying the farm complex for defence, in anticipation of an attack the next morning. Defensive preparations began again before dawn, however it was found the main door to the courtyard of the farm was removed for use as firewood by the occupying troops during the night. In addition, there were few suitable tools to construct defences and Baring's pioneers had been sent to aid

3402-482: The north gate. A desperate fight ensued between the invading French soldiers and the defending Guards. In a near-miraculous attack, Macdonnell, a small party of officers and Corporal James Graham fought through the melee to shut the gate, trapping Legros and about 30 other soldiers of the 1st Legere inside. All of the French who entered were killed except a drummer boy in the desperate hand-to-hand fight. The British and German Garrison were running low on ammunition and

3465-452: The only place of consideration which was totally destroyed". In 1474 the Order of Saint John (later to become the Order of Malta ) bought 30 acres (0.12 km) of forest, Le Goumont, and another 30 acres (0.12 km) of adjacent heathland for 100 golden crowns. The deed of sale did not mention any building on the grounds. A building had apparently been erected on the land as it was sold in 1536 to Pierre du Fief, attorney-general to

3528-420: The right-hand door post of the north side gate. Project Hougoumont, supported by, amongst others, the then-current Duke of Wellington , writer Bernard Cornwell and the late historian Richard Holmes , was set up to oversee funding to restore and preserve Hougoumont for the long-term future. The project was completed in June 2015 at a cost of £3m, with organisations including the Landmark Trust contributing to

3591-400: The troops behind Hougoumont. Wellington's army defended the house and the hollow way running north from it. In the afternoon Napoleon personally ordered the shelling of the house to cause it to burn, Seeing the flames, Wellington sent a note to the house's commander stating that he must hold his position whatever the cost, resulting in the destruction of all but the chapel. Du Plat's brigade of

3654-417: The war on the Western Front . In April 1940, the 1st Battalion, as part of the 24th Guards Brigade , took part in its first campaign of the war, during the expedition to Norway . In North Africa, as part of the 22nd Guards Brigade , the 2nd Battalion took part in fighting against the Italians in Egypt followed by tough fighting in Libya , then also controlled by Italy. In North Africa, in March 1943,

3717-433: Was a vital part of the battle. Certainly, Wellington declared afterwards that "the success of the battle turned upon the closing of the gates at Hougoumont". Hougoumont was a part of the battlefield that Napoleon could see clearly and he continued to direct resources towards it and its surroundings all afternoon (33 battalions in all, 14,000 troops). The French forces sent in to attack Hougoumont included: Similarly, though

3780-431: Was expanded to two battalions. When the Nine Years War began in 1689, the first battalion was sent to Flanders ; the second served in Ireland , and fought at the 1690 Battle of the Boyne , before joining the First in 1691. The combined unit fought at Steenkerque and Landen , as well as the 1695 Namur . After the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697, the regiment returned to Scotland. The Guards remained in Scotland during

3843-460: Was fought over and around during most of the day. Napoleon failed to allocate enough forces to take the farm earlier in the day while Wellington only realized the strategic value of the position when it was almost too late. Wellington ordered the 2nd Light Infantry Battalion of the King’s German Legion , commanded by Major Georg Baring , to garrison La Haye Sainte the evening before the battle. Upon arriving at 19:30 amidst heavy rain, Baring ordered

SECTION 60

#1732851064484

3906-404: Was sent to plug the gap. As the French were beaten back from La Haye Sainte, the heavy cavalry brigades under Somerset and Ponsonby attacked. This action relieved the pressure on the fortress farm. At 15:00, Napoleon ordered Marshal Ney to capture La Haye Sainte. While Ney was engaged in the glorious but futile 8,000-man cavalry attack, unsupported by infantry or cannon, on Allied squares on

3969-431: Was shown around that battlefield by the well known guide, Jean-Baptiste Decoster , and that 16 July 1815 (one month after the battle) he saw two wells, one that contained eight men and another that contained 73 men. The first well was at La Belle Alliance "wherein we saw the bodies of eight men of the Imperial Guard of Napoleon; they had jumped down with their arms"; and the second probably at Hougoumont, "The French formed

#483516