IN his Hampshire Heritage piece on Waterloo medals coming up for auction (Daily Echo, June 1) Keith Hamilton refers to it as an “infamous” battle. Why “infamous” as opposed to simply “famous”?

I can understand the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava during the Crimean War being described as “infamous”, as it achieved nothing and resulted in enormous loss of life. But the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 changed the course of world history.

The accompanying picture of what purports to be Waterloo medals also needs a little explanation. One of them shows Queen Victoria who was not even born in 1815, so it surely isn’t a Waterloo medal. Maybe a general or long service medal from 20 years later, with a Waterloo clasp?

MARTIN KYRLE, Chandler’s Ford.