Not tonight, Wellington – French win restaged Battle of Waterloo
HISTORY WAS rewritten when the Battle of Waterloo was recreated in miniature during an event in York to raise funds for a charity that pays for schooling for children in an African country.
St Olaves Church Hall in Marygate Lane was the venue at the weekend as competitors grappled with tactics from the famous 1815 battle.
The result was unexpected as Napoleon won the miniature battle, which was recreated using more than 5,000 15mm-high painted figures.
The figures accurately represented every regiment that appeared on the battlefield for Britain, France and Prussia.
The game was organised by Paul Dawson of York and Paul Johnston of Robin Hood’s Bay.
They were inspired to stage the recreation after visiting Belgium for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo in 2015, where 6,000 re-enactors took part in a spectacular display.
The event in York was staged to raise cash for the Bright Future Foundation, a small organisation which funds children’s education in Malawi.
Paul Johnston said 10 people played the game for 21 hours from Friday to Sunday, adding: “It was fantastic, we had about 20 or 30 visitors.
“Napoleon won so we rewrote history and raised a couple of hundred pounds for the charity.
“It costs £1 a week to pay for a child to attend secondary school in Malawi so we are providing funding for four children to go to school over the next year.”
Paul Dawson said: “The game has taken almost three years to plan and is just for fun.
“But on the serious side, we know we can also make a big difference to children in Malawi with potentially positive lifechanging consequences for them.”
For more information on the Bright Future Foundation, go to Brightfuturefoundation.org.uk