Waterloo war dead ground into fertiliser

THE bones of soldiers killed in the Battle of Waterloo were sold off as fertiliser, scientists claim.

Nearly 50,000 died in the bloody battle near Brussels on June 18, 1815, yet few remains were ever found.

Scientists now say the most plausible explanation is their bones were ground up and spread on British farms as fertiliser.

Professor Tony Pollard, of Glasgow University, led a study of original data and said that people visited the battlefields to steal belongings and even teeth.

He said: “At least three articles from the 1820s reference the importing of human bones from European battlefields for producing fertiliser. One of the main markets was the British Isles.”

Wellington’s victory over Napoleon ended a 23-year war across Europe.