In June 1815, hundreds of civilians followed the British troops to Belgium and thus found themselves some thirty kilometres away from Waterloo when Napoleon came back from Elba. Among the British non-combatants who were present in Brussels at the time, there were officers’ wives, such as Lady de Lancey and Madame d’Arblay (Fanny Burney), as well as busybodies who had anticipated the conflict and were eager to experience the social events that preceded the military operations. The war having broken out earlier than expected, the residents in Brussels describe scenes of confusion and panic.