Officer - Coldstream Guards - Waterloo 1815

The Battle of Waterloo was the final and decisive episode of the Napoleonic Wars that saw the defeat of the French Imperial Army commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte.

The strategy followed by Bonaparte on the final days of his last campaign was mainly aimed to keep separated the allied Prussian and British armies, the first ones fielded against him after his return from the Isle of Elba. The French Army was greatly composed of hardened veteran troops and, if it managed to face its enemies one by one, the emperor was confident to even the odds and achieve victory over the Coalition forces.

The diverse engagements and maneuvering of the opposing armies culminated near the small village of Waterloo, in Belgium. The Anglo-Dutch forces had assembled a front opposed to the French deployment, trying to hold their ground until the arrival of the Prussian Army. Between both armies there were some scattered small farms that were promptly occupied by the British, to hinder the advancement of the French, and to force them to invest time, effort, and troops to try to capture them.

In one of these farms, Hougoumont, The British garrisoned forces from a few regiments, among them the Coldstream Guards and, since the opening moments of the battle, the French started to send wave after wave of attacks in order to capture the position. In one of the best-known skirmishes of the battle, some thirty French soldiers, commanded by Sous-Lieutenant Legros, managed to break into the farm through the north gate, leading to a desperate, no-quarter, hand-to-hand fight between them and the defending guards. None of the French survived, except for the young drummer boy, spared by the British in the last minute.

Our bust depicts a brave officer from the Coldstream Guards, getting ready to fend off another assault of the French.

Note: This is a resin miniature kit that requires assembly and painting.