Aberdeen's Gordon Highlanders Museum has launched two special exhibitions to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo: “The Road to Waterloo“ and “Waterloo Lives”.
25,000 men lost their lives at Waterloo, but as curator Jesper Ericsson has explained, “The Gordon Highlanders were formed and raised in 1794 to fight the French in revolutionary France – initially it was the whole reason for their being.
“The exhibition will detail the travels of the Gordon Highlanders from the very beginning, in the early battles in Egypt and France, then across Portugal and Spain, and at last in the battles against Napoleon's armies in June 1815.
“We will have a number of extraordinary artifacts from this time period, and especially the battle of Waterloo itself.”
Rare artifacts and items from the Highlander's early history, will be on display as well as items on loan from the National Army Museum of London, such as the complete period uniform of Ensign John Bramwell, who was wounded at Waterloo. One of his descendants was present at the opening of the exhibition, and for Ericsson, “it was a very special, very emotional moment for all of us. It's just wonderful to have a complete uniform to see, especially when it's 200 years old.
“We are also displaying the medals of the Commanding Officer and the Pipe Major from the Highlander's time at Waterloo, so it's incredible to have these pieces of history from these two senior and important figures from the day on display.”
The second special exhibition, “Waterloo Lives”, which is part of a series of exhibitions across Britain exploring the role of local men in the Battle of Waterloo (coordinated by the National Army Museum). Using personal letters, diaries and notes, it allows museum visitors to experience the day of the battle through the first-hand accounts of the local soldiers who fought there.
The displays will run at the Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen until November 28 .
The Gordon Highlanders Museum,
St. Luke's, Viewfield Road,
Aberdeen, AB15 7XH
Tel: 01224 311200
Fax: 01224 319323
Opening Hours: (February 3rd – November 28th 2015)
Monday CLOSED *
Tuesday 10am – 4:30pm
Wednesday 10am – 4:30pm
Thursday 10am – 4:30pm
Friday 10am – 4:30pm
Saturday 10am – 4:30pm
Sunday CLOSED
*except the following 4 Mondays which are open:
13th April
4th May
13th July
28th September
More information on the Museum's website here.
Langue(s) : English