A quote from the Duke Of Wellington - a statement on the horror of war, basically - after his famous victory against Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo in 1815 (the 200th anniversary is coming up in June):
"My heart is broken by the terrible loss I have sustained in my old friends and companions and my poor soldiers. Believe me, nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won."
So, even after his victory, Wellington was melancholy due to the appalling death toll amongst his friends, his colleagues, and his army. I imagine the sense of loss was palpable on both sides - the Allied side(mainly British / Irish, Dutch, various minor German allies and the 50,000 Prussians under Blucher), and of course the French side.
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I was in Wellington, New Zealand - named after the Duke Of Wellington - when I finished this track (the rest was done on the Air New Zealand flight from Melbourne to Wellington).
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Added a funny photograph of me doing a Maori haka (war dance). The photo may be funny, but I felt a deep respect for the Maori.
