The Library - The 18th Century Club

Sink Me, If The Library ain't open. Book and film reviews and the like.

Mentioned in Despatches.

Issue 35 of The Chap

That fine compendium The Chap have honoured The Brigadier with a mention in despatches. In the section 'Am I A Chap?' he was delighted to find a very positive comment which is rare in this tome the ususal being a 'right slagging off'.

Having presented them with the following pictogram they wrote the following.

'Even if he were wearing a string vest and a pair of swimming trunks, this fellow would be simmering with Chappishness. Alan Moore should of invited him to his wedding.'

A glowing reference I think you have to agree.

The Spanish Ulcer: 1808 -1813

Members, Ladies, Honoured guests; as every schoolboy knows, August 2008 marks the 200th anniversary of the beginning of that most noble enterprise, the Peninsular War, during which our glorious boys, under the command of Old Hooky himself, soundly thrashed the Frenchies up and down the Iberians. In order to facilitate appropriate celebrations, banquets, slap-up binges and bouts of furious cigar smoking amid the chinking of brimming bumpers, the 18th Century Club presents this handy calendar of the major engagements.

Now you need never suffer the ignominy of waking up one morning to realise that the day before you should have been roaring drunk and bleating on about the advance of the Fusilier Brigade at Albuera, or the capturing of the Eagle at Barrosa; etc, etc.

For bedtime reading on the appropriate days, thrilling fictionalisations of many of the battles can be found in Mr Cornwell's excellent Sharpe series- details in the Library - or, for the purely historically minded amongst you, might we presume to recommend that you cast a glance over the list of volumes detailed hereafter.

So, five-year diaries to the fore, and have your man inscribe the following:

1808

17 August, Rolica

21 August, Vimiero

21 December, Sahagun

29 December, Benevente

1809

3 January, Cacabelos

16 January, Corunna

12 May, Oporto

27-28 July, Talavera

1810

27 September, Bussaco

1811

4 March, Barrosa

3 April, Sabugal

5 May, Fuentes de Onoro

16 May, Albuera

25 May, Usagre

25 September, El Bodon

28 October, Arroyo dos Molinos

1812

19 January, Cuidad Rodrigo

6 April, Badajoz

22 July, Salamanca

1813

21 June, Vittoria

25 July, Roncesvalles

25 July, Maya

28-30 July, Sorauren

31 August, San Sebastian

31 August, San Marcial

7 October, Vera

9 November, St. Jean de Luz

10 November, Nivelle

9-12 December, Nive

13 December, St. Pierre

1814

27 February, Orthez

10 April, Toulouse

14 April, Bayonne

In the interests of clarity innumerable other smaller actions and skirmishes have been omitted, as too have the engagements between the Spanish, Portuguese and French, in which the British were not involved. Those with a pathological desire to learn more could do a damn sight worse than peruse any of the following:

Anonymous: Memoirs of a Sergeant - the 43rd Light Infantry during the Peninsular War

Edward Costello: Rifleman Costello

Benjamin Harris: A Dorset Rifleman

Richard Holmes: Wellington, The Iron Duke

Richard Holmes: Redcoat

Captain Sir John Kincaid: Tales from the Rifle Brigade

Maj. Gen. Sir William Napier: The War in the Peninsula

Roger Parkinson: The Peninsular War

Sir Harry Smith: The Autobiography of Sir Harry Smith ( vol. one,1787-1819)

Andrew Uffindell: The National Army Museum Book of Wellington’s Armies.

Mark Urban: Rifles- Six Years with Wellington’s Legendary Sharpshooters

They’re all currently in print as far as I know, and if not- well, I would lend you my copy, but the bally thing’s covered in claret!

Huzzah!

Lord Shuteye.

The Brigadier and Lord Shuteye relax in the comfort of The Library, with a fine brandy and a quality read.

"frightfully thirsty work, this reading game, what?"

Recommended 18th Century Club Reading

Of course for the likes of anyone in the 18th Century Club there can be nothing finer that to settle one’s self down in a comfy leather upholstered chair, order your man to fetch forth the brandy and cigars and dive into a copy of Bernard Cornwells’ Sharpe. This fine compendium of richly embroiled octavo cannot fail but to inspire one. We cannot recommend highly enough this series of handsomely written tomes.

The full list of books to date:

Sharpe’s Tiger – The Siege of Seringapatam - 1799
Sharpe’s Triumph – The Battel of Assayre, September 1803
Sharpe’s Fortress – The Siege of Gawlighur, December 1803
Sharpe’s Trafalgar – The Battle of Trafalgar, October 1805
Sharpe’s Prey – The Siege of Copenhagen 1807
Sharpe’s Rifles – The invasion of Galicia, January 1809
Sharpe’s Havoc – The Peninsular, Oporto, 1809
Sharpe’s Eagle – The Talavera Campaign, July 1809
Sharpe’s Gold – The Destruction of Almeida, August 1810
Sharpe’s Escape – The Battle of Busaco, 1810
Sharpe’s Battle – The Battle of Fuentes de Onoro, May 1811
Sharpe’s Fury – Based on the real events of the Winter at Barossa, 1811
Sharpe’s Company – The Siege of Bahajoz, January to April 1812
Sharpe’s Sword – The Salamanca Campaign, June to July 1812
Sharpe’s Enemy – The Defence of Portugal, Christmas 1812
Sharpe’s Honour – The Vitoria Campaign, February to June 1813
Sharpe’s Regiment – The invasion of France, June to November 1813
Sharpe’s Siege – The Winter Campaign, 1814
Sharpe’s Revenge – The Peace of 1814
Sharpe’s Waterloo – The Waterloo Campaign, 15 June to 18 June 1815
Sharpe’s Devil – The Emperor, 1820-21

Sharpe’s Skirmish – A short story by Bernard Cornwell
Sharpe’s Christmas – Two short stories by Bernard Cornwell

You could do worse than visit Bernard Cornwell’s site for more information.

http://www.bernardcornwell.net/

Here also are a few sites that we feel are worthy of mention for there unstinting, informative and dedication to all things Sharpe. Do enjoy we most certainly did.

http://www.sharpe-books.co.uk/

http://www.southessex.co.uk/

Now when you have finished these masterfully written books as you surely must, you could do worse than to tuck into a copy of Gary Kilworths Fancy ‘Jack’ Crossman series. Much in the vain of Sharpe but set against the backdrop of the Crimea.

The Devils Own
The Valley of Death
Soldiers in the Mist
The Winter Soldiers
Attack on the Redan
Brothers of the Blade

http://garry-kilworth.com/historicalwar.php

Now what have we here? Why the eagle eyed Impress spotted this weighty tome and Lord Shuteye sums it up nicely.

“Well I never! I say sir, they’ve captured you to the very inch.
Let’s have a flick through: “Into the (Primrose) Valley of Death”; “All Quiet Eastern Foreshore”; “To Hull and Back”;” The Mysterious Adventures of the Hunmanby Flyer”; “Chobway or the Highway?”; “The Strange Case of The Murchison Street Mauler”….. bloody hell! What a corking read!!!! Too shocking for the ladies, though!”

Sadly out of print nowadays but you may come across a copy in some far-flung and dusty corner of some forgotten book emporium. Good hunting.

Well no sooner have we brought to your attention the above founder members tome then along came these master-pieces. It would appear that we have all been in print at one time or another.

and this

or indeed this

and

even

So dear readers do take our advice and grab a copy of any of the above. You will not be disappointed.