"The Battle of Waterloo: is this the most British ..." Topic

…conversation ever to be held on a battlefield?.

"All the key characteristics of Britishness – self-restraint, determination and courage in the face of adversity – in one verbal exchange

It's sometimes difficult to believe in this era of selfies, social media and reality TV, but we Brits used to be famous for our emotional reserve. No matter how challenging the circumstances, we would never allow our upper lip to be anything other than stiff. We would rather die than betray our true feelings in public.

And nobody exemplifies that great British sang-froid (to use a French phrase) better than the Earl of Uxbridge, the cavalry commander at the Battle of Waterloo.

One of the stand-out heroes of the bloody clash that took place 200 years ago today, Uxbridge fought with supreme bravery, launching repeated charges against the French. Eight horses were shot from under him…"
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Amicalement
Armand

The exchange between Uxbridge and Wellington should be put into perspective. Lord Uxbridge ran off with Wellington's Brother's wife in 1809. So to say there was no love lost between the two is an understatement. Wellington was pragmatic to the extreme and Uxbridge was at his post because he was a very capable commander. If Wellington won the battle and Uxbridge expired from his injuries, he probably would have thought "So much the better."

John gives very useful background.

It comes in many way later in the century but stoicism was taught as a civic virtue. The stiff upper-lip is something very real in certain stratum of English society.

In the light of his own extra-marital affaires, I doubt very much that the Duke was, by 1815, much bothered by Uxbridge's elopement with his sister in law.

Though it did enable him to indulge his wit by declaring that he would make sure Uxbridge did not run away with him.