Waterloo Uncovered: British veterans dig up history

A team of British military veterans have been unearthing rare skeletons at the Waterloo battlefield in Belgium.

The archaeological dig is part of a project called Waterloo Uncovered which combines archaeology with supporting veterans and serving personnel with physical and mental injuries as a result of their service.

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Foinette, Founder of Waterloo Uncovered, said multiple "more or less complete horses" and a number of amputated human limbs have been found.

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Amputations were performed in primitive conditions with no anaesthetic, and the discoveries "paint a picture" of the "chaos" of surgery on the battlefield, he said.

Six thousand soldiers were treated by surgeons at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Rod Eldridge, a veteran and welfare officer for the charity, described a significant change in some participants who at the start of the project "could hardly talk or wouldn't really mix with other people".

The Waterloo Uncovered charity was set up in 2014 and the team will continue its excavations until 15 July.