Glasgow University's Waterloo
As we reflect upon the members of the University of Glasgow community who served in the First World War, it seems only appropriate to explore other conflicts. There is a long tradition of military service at the University of Glasgow. University staff raised funds to maintain militia to counter the Jacobite threats of 1708, 1715, and 1745; raised a Rifle Corps in 1859 and a number of staff, students, and graduates served in South Africa at the turn of the 20th century. The University’s Second World War Roll of Honour includes the names of 458 individuals who died in that conflict.
18 June 2015 marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. For the bicentenary, we are taking the opportunity to look at the members of the University community who were at Waterloo and to highlight on-going research that is shedding new light on this momentous battle. Dr Tony Pollard, who is heading both Glasgow University’s Great War and Waterloo Uncovered projects, reflects upon the Waterloo bicentenary in a short essay entitled Waterloo: A Battle Worth Remembering (4 pages, 562kB, pdf).
Biographies of University of Glasgow Graduates at Waterloo
- Brisbane, Thomas, MD 1812, Assistant-Surgeon
- Burrell, William George, MD 1813, Surgeon
- Cartan, Thomas, MD 1818, Surgeon
- Freer, John, Assistant-Surgeon
- Hamilton, James Inglis, Colonel Commandant of the Scots Greys
- Hume, John Robert, Army Officer
- Hunter, William, MD 1813, Surgeon
- Jones, William, MD 1818, Surgeon
- Logan, Thomas Galbraith, MD 1823, Surgeon
- Moffitt, James, MD CM 1820, Assistant Surgeon
- Murdoch, Peter, Army
- Pearson, Richard Arthur, MD 1828, Assistant Surgeon
- Perston, David, MD 1821, Assistant Surgeon
- Stewart, Arthur, MD 1820, Surgeon
- Walsh, Edward, MD 1791, Physician
With thanks to University of Glasgow Archives Graduate Trainee Alicia Chilcott and Great War Project Researcher Warwick Louth for their work on these biographies.
Current Research
In April 2015 initial survey work was done on the battlefield by Waterloo Uncovered, a ground-breaking archaeology project thought up by two soldiers from the Coldstream Guards, a regiment that played a vital role in the battle, and led by Dr Tony Pollard. The project brings together professional archaeologists from across Europe and wounded veterans from recent campaigns with the aims of transforming the understanding of the Battle of Waterloo through archaeology and providing a unique opportunity for veterans to participate in an important dig and support those that are injured in their recovery. The team will be on site again in July, so watch the project website at Waterloo Uncovered for updates and data - all findings will be made publicly available.
Study Opportunities
To learn more about studying conflict archaeology at the University of Glasgow, see the MLitt in Conflict Archaeology & Heritage programme and visit the History and Archaeology subject pages.
Unique resources for study at the University of Glasgow
Explore Waterloo Study Resources in the University of Glasgow Library, Special Collections, Archives, and Hunterian Museum. Also available as a pdf document here.