Letter highlights battle courage

A NEWLY published letter written from the battlefield at Waterloo highlights the courage of soldiers in the face of “the most bloody” of conflicts, experts have said.

Written by British soldier Captain William Turnor, the 200-year-old note – which has never before been published in full – claims the British infantry, led by the Duke of Wellington, “immortalised itself” on 18 June, 1815.

The letter is part of a series of documents set to go in display at Cambridge University Library from tomorrow as part of an exhibition looking at how Waterloo was written about in the immediate aftermath.

Exhibition co-curator John Wells said: “Waterloo is the most famous battle in modern European history, and from the very first moment soldiers and civilians alike wanted to put their experiences and emotions into words.”

Capt Turnor, born in Esham, Hampshire, was 33 at the time of the battle and served with infantry regiment 14th Foot. He went on to become a major-general, also serving in India, before dying in 1860 aged 78.

Written the day after the battle, the letter describes the exhilaration, confusion and savagery of what he describes as “the most bloody as well as the most decisive battle”.

He adds: “The French fought with desperation and I am fully convinced that no troops on earth except the English could have won the victory, they are in action savagely courageous.”