Waterloo!

Before Waterloo was a popular London Underground station and a hit ABBA song, it was most well known as arguably the most definitive battle in modern history. Today also marks 210 years since it happened on 18 June 1815.

The battle took place in Waterloo, Belgium (Waterloo then a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) and was fought between a coalition (the Seventh Coalition) of the United Kingdom & Prussia on one side and the Napoleon-led French on the other.

Who Was Thomas Picton?

One of the more well-known deaths (and the most senior to occur at the battle) to have taken place during the Battle of Waterloo was the death of Thomas Picton (1758-1815) – a Welshman, once referred to by the Duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley) as a “rough foul-mouthed devil as ever lived”, who served as a Lieutenant General during the battle.

Picton, who was born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, is remembered as a controversial figure for his advocacy of torture in Trinidad. His use of torture even once saw him put on trial for picketing a 14 year old girl and, though convicted, he managed to overturn the ruling on a technicality. His involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, in which he was directly involved as a slave owner, also stands out as one of the many reasons to feel no sympathy for his premature demise.

Picton perished at Waterloo when an aggressive-counter attack led to him being shot in the head. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy, really.

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Niklas George

Niklas is the founder, owner, manager, editor, writer, video creator, voice over artist, and so forth, of Welsh Histories. He is passionate about the preservation of Welsh culture; the rejuvenation of the Welsh language and the promotion of Welsh history. Niklas currently resides in Pune, Maharashtra, with his beloved wife.