More than 80 British soldiers who were buried in a mass grave in the Netherlands 200 years ago died of disease rather than during combat, archaeologists have revealed.

The mass grave, which contains 82 skeletons, was found by chance in the town of Vianen in November 2020.

The soldiers buried there are believed to have died during the Flanders Campaign of 1793-1795, in which the British fought the French.

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The campaign was part of the First Coalition war, which pitched post-revolutionary France against an alliance made up of Britain, Prussia, Russia, the Netherlands and Austria.

Now, analysis of some of the remains has shown that the soldiers endured extremely tough conditions, both in civilian life and after they joined up.

Read more: The Telegraph