The Royal Green Jackets (Rifl es) Museum BaƩ le of Waterloo Bicentenary ExhibiƟ on

It was a great day when, after two years of preparation and planning, we heard that the Trustees’ application to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a grant of £100,000 to part-fund a Battle of Waterloo Bicentenary exhibition in 2015 had been successful. The news was released to the public on 17 November. A huge amount of work is now in hand to ensure that the exhibition is ready to open on 25 March 2015, three months in advance of the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June.

The items in the display case shown in the aƩ achment belonged to or related to the Duke of Wellington: Court Dress coatee worn when Col-in-Chief of The Rifl e Brigade Garter Sash Embroidered waistcoat Tie pin and two studs LeƩ er from the Duke Ink stand made from one of his chargers hooves StatueƩ e of the Duke of Wellington 3 x medallions relaƟ ng to the death and burial of the Duke of Wellington Lithograph of the funeral procession 2 x illustraƟ ons of the funeral from the Illustrated London News (copies) B/W copy of the painƟ ng ‘The First of May’ B/W copy of a portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Phillips

There are lots of reasons why the Trustees have chosen to invest a large amount of time, effort and money in this exhibition.

For a start, the bicentenary is expected to attract considerable national and international attention and we want some to be focused on our Museum. Currently no other regimental museum in the country has such ambitious plans as ours.

Secondly, Waterloo was a defi ning moment in European and British history. The causes, course and consequences of the battle, some of which still resonate today, deserve to be better understood and remembered.

Thirdly, two of the antecedent regiments of The Royal Green Jackets, the 52nd Light Infantry and the 95th Rifl es, played a pivotal role in the battle. The 52nd LI initiated the rout of the French Imperial Guard that led to the defeat of the French, while the 1st/95th contributed signifi cantly to the defence of the vital ground forward of the Mont St Jean crossroads. Waterloo was undeniably a major event in the Regiment’s history with the battle honour ‘Waterloo’ proudly emblazoned on The

Royal Green Jackets’ cap badge.

Lastly, the Trustees have long wanted to improve the conservation and presentation of our very popular, but somewhat tired 24.5 m2 Waterloo diorama, with its 30,000 model soldiers and horses. Marking the bicentenary of Waterloo with in major exhibition provides admirable reason to introduce state-of-the art technology and methods of interpretation to the diorama, and to bring to life the battle and the stories of those who were there.

But this is not only an exhibition about Waterloo. It will also be an exhibition about the ‘Road to Waterloo’ covering the period from the French Revolution (1789) to Napoleon’s exile to Elba in 1814. This is a key period in the Regiment’s history giving rise to the formation of the 5th/60th Rifl es in 1797 and the Experimental Corps of Rifl emen in 1800; the introduction of the Baker Rifl e; Sir John Moore’s camp at Shorncliffe and the designation of the 43rd and 52nd as light infantry regiments (1803-6); and, of course, the part played by all the antecedent regiments of The Royal Green Jackets and The Light Division during the Peninsular War (1808-14).

There is, too, a very important, third element to our plans. In addition to the new displays covering the ‘Road to Waterloo’ and ‘Waterloo’, we intend to create a multi-functional learning space to seat 60 people with walls on which to display to much better effect than at present the Museum’s important collection of paintings and portraits relating to the period 1800-15. Teachers are already excited at the prospect of using this space as an ‘alternative classroom’, one where they can bring their pupils for a full or half day and, with the facilities on offer, conduct classroom work on the spot with objects and subject matter experts to hand.

For those familiar with the Museum, the Bicentenary Exhibition will result in two-thirds of the fi rst fl oor display space being stripped back to bare walls and new displays being created in their place. The Waterloo diorama will remain a central feature. The area affected is shown in approximate form on the diagram accompanying this article. This may change once the exhibition designer is appointed in mid-January.

Ultimately the Museum’s Trustees are looking to create a new experience within an existing experience, an exhibition that stands to be more modern and, quite probably in content and presentation, different to the displays in the rest of the Museum. In particular, we want the exhibition to excite and inspire members of the public of all ages and backgrounds and to appeal to children whether visiting as a school or family group.

But all this comes at a price. The £100,000 HLF grant will cover just under a half of the estimated £210,000 project cost, but we know this fi gure does not cover some elements which we consider important and would dearly likely to see included. The Trustees, therefore, will be launching a £100,000 Waterloo 2015 Appeal on 16 January in the hope that not only will the target sum be reached, but that it will be exceeded. Indeed, it is critically important that it is reached if the Museum is not to default on its commitments to the HLF.