We are all sad, old men playing with plastic soldiers that's what the wife says anyway.:anguished:

Wise woman, your wife.

"if my guess is true: we've never had dentists depicted in 1/72 scale before....."

I can see it now: "Waffen SS dentists in summer dress,1943" to tie in with the new Osprey book:face_with_rolling_eyes:

I an not sure on the accuracy of what I am about to say as it was an article online which stated that all the bones from the dead at waterloo was removed from the battlefield crushed and returned to be used on the fields of England to improve the soil quality.

If this was true I think it is a sad reflection of the futility of war and the lack of respect their was for the common soldier.

hope others can confirm its validity If i recollect correctly it was discussed in a local newspaper of the time.

bfn

Allan

Alan, I believe this was the case with a number of battlefield burial pits, including Waterloo.

I have read it speculated that this was the origin of BSE but I do not know if there's any validity.

Definitely not Donald. That was from feeding animal bi-products to other animals, particularly ruminants. Likely due to disease in the source animals used for the feed additive. It had been common to include fishmeal to increase the protein content of feed. This went further with using other animal byproducts, usually in homespun varieties. It is now all banned.

The human form Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) has similar symptoms but was not liked to the outbreak of BSE in the soon-to-be former UK.

Back on topic.

Loved your post Stuart. One of the funniest posts on this forum since Steve's ode to the pikeman last week. Looking forward to Waffen SS dentists standing, at attention and on the march!!

I stand corrected.

I must admit, it's a joy to be on a forum where you can add to your knowledge or have your misconceptions corrected by forum members. Thanks, James.


* Socrates, of course

You underestimate yourself, Donald. It is good to focus on what you do not know though, isn't it? A wonderful former colleague (now sort-of retired) used to greet you with 'what did you learn today'. It's a great philosophy. We learn every day ... until we learn no more!

Trouble is that I'll run out of days and will still have bucket loads more to learn, ah well!

Allan,

This sounds like so much Waterloo mythology, don't you think?

I suspect that the lie of it is demonstrated in the moving and edifying section at around 37:45 in this most interesting and surprisingly (to me) insightful, well-written and produced doco.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0P0NLRFYz0

James

Here is the article I managed to find it again

https://medium.com/study-of-history/the-bones-of-waterloo-a3beb35254a3

a very grim job and practice in my view

bfn

Allan

Allan,

Thanks heaps for the link. I added this to the list of things that I learned in the last few days. I'm slow in responding as reading it sent me down a few 'rabbit warrens'!

You may be interested in this post by Shannon Selin, if you've not seen it already
https://shannonselin.com/2016/07/napoleonic-battlefield-cleanup/
A most interesting blog post. There are some useful links in the comments too.

There is also the 'Waterloo Uncovered' project's website (http://www.waterloouncovered.com). There are reports for 2015 and 2016 available on there. This project was mentioned in one of the parts of the Sean Bean doco (I cannot recall which one without checking).

James

I can see it now: "Waffen SS dentists in summer dress,1943" to tie in with the new Osprey book


Probably Kaiser miniatures already have it on their production line along with SS tank riders set number 26. They could have a veterinary set to highlight the reliance of the German army on horses compared to the mechanized Western Allies.