OK, I'm obviously missing something here but having read over the last couple of days about the memorial that has been erected at Hougoumont Farm which depicts two soldiers struggling to close the north gate and that by eventually succeeding in doing so, saved the day for good-ole Wellington I'm still non the wiser.

I also read that 500 Canon were on the battle field so what on earth stopped Napoleon simply blowing the darn gate to smithereens? Failing that, couldn't a battering ram have also done the job? I mean, if it only took two men to close the gate surely a few thousand blood thirsty Frenchmen could have headbutted the gates down.

Read the Wikipedia account of the Battle of Waterloo....! It is pretty long, but worth it. Also saw Andrew Roberts programme (part 1) on the Beeb. For an Englishman, he is pretty sympa towards old Boney. Part 2 should be worth watching - saw it last night, again very good. Waterloo in Part 3 when I expect all will be explained. Also see 'Hougoumont: Key to Victory at Waterloo' by Julian Paget (Author), Derek Saunders