Mass grave of 81 British soldiers found in Dutch castle moat

Blackleaf

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 9, 2004
48,429
1,668
113
LAST RESTING PLACE

Mass grave of 80 British soldiers found in a Dutch castle used as hospital during war against French revolutionaries​

Hana Carter

18 Feb 2021

The Sun

A MASS grave that held the bodies of more than 80 British soldiers has been discovered in a Dutch castle moat.

The 220-year-old skeletons were discovered in the Dutch city of Vianen and date back to the battle against French revolutionaries.

A team excavated the bodies of the soldiers discovered in the moat of the castle

A team excavated the bodies of the soldiers discovered in the moat of the castle Credit: Newsflash

The grave was first found by city workers excavating a moat just outside the grounds of the 14th century Batestein Castle

The grave was first found by city workers excavating a moat just outside the grounds of the 14th century Batestein Castle Credit: Newsflash


The British soldiers who died were aged between 15 and 30 and had been killed during the War of the First Coalition between 1792 and 1797.

The grave was first found by city workers excavating a moat just outside the grounds of the 14th century Batestein Castle on 20 November last year.

It was previously speculated that the 81 skeletons could have dated back to medieval times.

The marks found on many of the bones at the site were previously believed to have been the result of violent clashes.

However, it is now known that in many cases they were saw marks, the result of medical procedures such as autopsies and amputations.

The team working on the project has concluded that the site was a field hospital.

Project leader Anne-Floor van Pelt said: "The site was therefore not the battlefield itself, but a place further away where the wounded from the fray were received and treated.

"It would not have been a nice place.

"We think that many soldiers here died from their wounds, but also from all kinds of hardships such as hunger, disease and frostbite."

The remains are believed to belong to British soldiers battling the French on Dutch territory.

The British authorities have been informed of the find and will collaborate with researchers on the project in the hope of revealing more details.

According to Van Pelt, the breakthrough came when marks were found on the victims' teeth.

She said: "They showed that the men smoked pipes. Pipe tobacco only appeared in the Netherlands from around 1600.

"Tobacco was an expensive stimulant, so initially only the rich smoked pipes. It only became common among the population from 1690. For that reason, the grave cannot be older."

A search of digitised newspaper archives has revealed that the establishment of a field hospital was discussed in the 'Amsterdamse Courant' on 28th December 1794.

British ambassador to the Netherlands Joanna Roper wrote on Twitter: "An extraordinary find - the remains of 18th century soldiers on Dutch soil.

"Glad to see the UK & the Netherlands working together to identify and preserve them with dignity and respect."

The breakthrough came when marks were found on the victims' teeth

The breakthrough came when marks were found on the victims' teeth Credit: Newsflash

Some of the soldiers killed were just 15 years old

Some of the soldiers killed were just 15 years old Credit: Newsflash

The English soldiers were battling the French on Dutch territory

The British soldiers were battling the French on Dutch territory Credit: Newsflash


The bodies were all lined up

The bodies were all lined up Credit: Newsflash