A penny that saved the life of a British soldier at Waterloo by intercepting a French musket-ball is among dozens of artefacts in a new collection created to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. The George III 'cartwheel penny' was unusually large and thick and came in very handy for one British soldier. This features in an online gallery of 200 items assembled for the launch of a website to commemorate the bicentenary of the clash between the two generals' armies in June 1815. The exhibition also includes a field surgeon's blood-stained equipment and an eagle standard taken from the French army after their defeat, as well as a number of objects that have never been on public view. The haul has been drawn from the National Army Museum's Waterloo Collection, loans from museums across Europe and private collections, and the artefacts relate to participants on both sides of the conflict, ranging from regular infantrymen to high-ranking officers. The new website - Waterloo200.org - will include details of every commemoration, re-enactment and exhibition taking place across Britain this year. Picture: National Army Museum/Photo Relic Imaging/PA

Credit : National Army Museum/Photo Relic Imaging/PA