Wester Hailes Education Centre is one of two hundred schools across the UK commemorating the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo. As part of the project the school has been allocated a local soldier who fought at the Battle. The soldier we were allocated was Private William Napier and this is what we have found out about him so far:

Private William Napier was aged 22 when the Battle of Waterloo was fought. He had been born in Dalkeith, Midlothian in 1793 and served in 2nd Bn 73rd Regiment of Foot (Captain Crawford’s company). He is described in his discharge papers as 5 feet 7 inches tall, brown hair, brown eyes, dark complexion. By trade a Labourer.

During the battle of Waterloo, his Regiment was charged by French Cavalry 11 times and bombarded by French artillery. It remained in square without breaking. The Regiment lost 6 officers and 225 men killed and wounded, the second heaviest casualties suffered by a line infantry regiment. Private Napier was wounded in the right arm and right thigh.

William Napier survived Waterloo and went on to see service in both Ceylon and in the East Indies. He was discharged from the army in 1830. A surgeons report at the time stated ” the man is worn out from repeated attacks of fever in Ceylon and varicose vein of right thigh. – Wounded at Waterloo”

This information will be included in an online book along with the information of another hundred and ninety nine soldiers that others schools across the country are researching. This can be found visiting: Waterloo 200