My , my . At Waterloo Napoleon did surrender . So go the opening lyrics to Abba 's Eurovision winner . But it seems the message has n't got through to the majority of us . Research has revealed that three out of four people have little or no knowledge about the Battle of Waterloo . Only just over half ( 53 per cent ) know the Duke of Wellington led the British forces , while one in seven believe that it was the French who were victorious in 1815 . Veeker 's rendering of the battle between Wellington 's Anglo-Dutch army and the French : Forty-seven per cent of 2,070 adults polled said they did n't know who led British forces against France in the battle . The survey , by the National Army Museum ahead of the 200th anniversary on June 18 , also showed that young people are more likely to associate Waterloo with the London railway station or the Abba song than the actual battle – with one in eight of those aged 18-24 saying they 'd never heard of it . Forty-seven per cent of 2,070 adults polled said they did n't know , or they thought the man in charge was either Sir Francis Drake , Sir Winston Churchill , King Arthur or even Harry Potter 's wizardry mentor Albus Dumbledore . More than a quarter of all the people polled ( 28 per cent ) have no idea who won the Battle of Waterloo , while one in seven ( 14 per cent ) wrongly believe the French were victorious over the British . Two-thirds ( 67 per cent ) are unaware that June 18th this year is the bicentenary of Waterloo . Now the National Army Museum , together with Waterloo 200 - the organisation approved by the government to support the anniversary - and other cultural organisations , are planning a series of events to bring Waterloo to life . Janice Murray , Director-General at the National Army Museum , said : 'Despite the Battle of Waterloo being an iconic moment in British history , UK public awareness is dramatically low . 'The National Army Museum is seeking to bridge this knowledge gap through the creation of a series of innovative pop-up events and regional exhibitions around the country making the dramatic story of the battle accessible for all . ' Abba at the 1974 Eurovision song contest : Young people are more likely to associate Waterloo the Abba song than the actual battle . Young people were also likely to associate the battle with the London Station , with one in eight of those aged 18-24 saying they 'd never heard of the battle . The Battle of Waterloo took place on June 18th , 1815 , when British and Prussian forces , under the command of Duke of Wellington , halted the advance of French Army in Belgium . The bloody battle claimed the lives of 65,000 of the 200,000 men that took part , and saw the defeat of Napoleon , ending his reign as Emperor of France and ushering in a period of peace following years of war in Europe . The National Army Museum , based in Chelsea , west London , is currently closed for redevelopment . It is due to reopen next year .
At Waterloo bicentenary , folklore shows adults know little about the battle . Only just over half polled from the Duke of Wellington led British forces . One in eight between 1922 - 1923 said they had never heard of the famous battle . Young are likely to associate this with Abba and other historians .