Author: Paul L Dawson
Publisher: Frontline Books
ISBN: 1399037765
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 270
Book Description
During the crisis year of 1792 when war against France was at its closest, a variety of societies and associations of Loyal Britons were set up throughout Britain. Their aim was to organise patriotic, anti-French forces in defense of king and country, and to help maintain the established order. The need to provide an internal defense force resulted in the Volunteer Act of 1794. It witnessed the formation of hundreds of volunteer regiments on the upswell in loyalist sentiment following the disorder and instability witnessed across the Channel in Revolutionary France. By 1798, there were 118,000 volunteers but, faced with the possibility of a French invasion of Southern England, William Pitts government aimed to expand this number substantially. By 1804 there were an astonishing 380,000 volunteers under arms and the various Corps made up half to one third of all the home service forces. When we add in those volunteers who agreed to serve overseas, as garrison troops in India for example, the number grows to approximately 800,000 meaning that around one in every five adult males participated in military activities. This amazing groundswell of patriotic fervour has seldom been investigated before. Using diaries and archive sources, this book seeks to explore the Dads Army of the Napoleonic Wars. These men were far more than local bands of volunteers, they represented a militarisation of society not previously seen and which was repeated again when the world was thrown into war in the twentieth century.
The Napoleonic Dads Army
Author: Paul L Dawson
Publisher: Frontline Books
ISBN: 1399037765
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 270
Book Description
During the crisis year of 1792 when war against France was at its closest, a variety of societies and associations of Loyal Britons were set up throughout Britain. Their aim was to organise patriotic, anti-French forces in defense of king and country, and to help maintain the established order. The need to provide an internal defense force resulted in the Volunteer Act of 1794. It witnessed the formation of hundreds of volunteer regiments on the upswell in loyalist sentiment following the disorder and instability witnessed across the Channel in Revolutionary France. By 1798, there were 118,000 volunteers but, faced with the possibility of a French invasion of Southern England, William Pitts government aimed to expand this number substantially. By 1804 there were an astonishing 380,000 volunteers under arms and the various Corps made up half to one third of all the home service forces. When we add in those volunteers who agreed to serve overseas, as garrison troops in India for example, the number grows to approximately 800,000 meaning that around one in every five adult males participated in military activities. This amazing groundswell of patriotic fervour has seldom been investigated before. Using diaries and archive sources, this book seeks to explore the Dads Army of the Napoleonic Wars. These men were far more than local bands of volunteers, they represented a militarisation of society not previously seen and which was repeated again when the world was thrown into war in the twentieth century.
Publisher: Frontline Books
ISBN: 1399037765
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 270
Book Description
During the crisis year of 1792 when war against France was at its closest, a variety of societies and associations of Loyal Britons were set up throughout Britain. Their aim was to organise patriotic, anti-French forces in defense of king and country, and to help maintain the established order. The need to provide an internal defense force resulted in the Volunteer Act of 1794. It witnessed the formation of hundreds of volunteer regiments on the upswell in loyalist sentiment following the disorder and instability witnessed across the Channel in Revolutionary France. By 1798, there were 118,000 volunteers but, faced with the possibility of a French invasion of Southern England, William Pitts government aimed to expand this number substantially. By 1804 there were an astonishing 380,000 volunteers under arms and the various Corps made up half to one third of all the home service forces. When we add in those volunteers who agreed to serve overseas, as garrison troops in India for example, the number grows to approximately 800,000 meaning that around one in every five adult males participated in military activities. This amazing groundswell of patriotic fervour has seldom been investigated before. Using diaries and archive sources, this book seeks to explore the Dads Army of the Napoleonic Wars. These men were far more than local bands of volunteers, they represented a militarisation of society not previously seen and which was repeated again when the world was thrown into war in the twentieth century.
In Search of the Real Dad's Army
Author: Stephen M. Cullen
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1844683869
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 410
Book Description
“A fascinating examination of one of the best-known British forces of the Second World War . . . An efficient and increasingly professional military unit.” —History of War What was the Home Guard? Who were the men and women who served in it? And what can be said of their real role and significance once the popular myths have been stripped away? Despite the fame of the Home Guard—of Dad’s Army—the true story of this wartime organization tends to be neglected. The myths obscure the reality. Stephen Cullen’s aim in this thoroughgoing new study is to cut through the misunderstandings in order to reassess the Home Guard and its contribution to Britain’s war effort—and to deepen our understanding of the men and women who were members of it. He sets the Home Guard in the long historical context of domestic defense planning, then focuses on the preparations made before the outbreak of the Second World War. In detail he traces the changing role of the Home Guard during its wartime existence as it adapted to meet the multitude of challenges it faced—from civil defense and intelligence gathering to training for guerrilla warfare. “This enjoyable and well-illustrated book covers the ‘rags to riches’ story of the Home Guard from the 1940 volunteer in civilian clothing, armed with a keepsake from an earlier war, to the fully trained and equipped part-time soldier.” —The Armourer “An interesting and accurate account of a force that was in fact a well drilled, well organised and by wars end, a very professional fighting unit by the time of its stand down in 1944.” —WW2 Connection
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1844683869
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 410
Book Description
“A fascinating examination of one of the best-known British forces of the Second World War . . . An efficient and increasingly professional military unit.” —History of War What was the Home Guard? Who were the men and women who served in it? And what can be said of their real role and significance once the popular myths have been stripped away? Despite the fame of the Home Guard—of Dad’s Army—the true story of this wartime organization tends to be neglected. The myths obscure the reality. Stephen Cullen’s aim in this thoroughgoing new study is to cut through the misunderstandings in order to reassess the Home Guard and its contribution to Britain’s war effort—and to deepen our understanding of the men and women who were members of it. He sets the Home Guard in the long historical context of domestic defense planning, then focuses on the preparations made before the outbreak of the Second World War. In detail he traces the changing role of the Home Guard during its wartime existence as it adapted to meet the multitude of challenges it faced—from civil defense and intelligence gathering to training for guerrilla warfare. “This enjoyable and well-illustrated book covers the ‘rags to riches’ story of the Home Guard from the 1940 volunteer in civilian clothing, armed with a keepsake from an earlier war, to the fully trained and equipped part-time soldier.” —The Armourer “An interesting and accurate account of a force that was in fact a well drilled, well organised and by wars end, a very professional fighting unit by the time of its stand down in 1944.” —WW2 Connection
To The Call of Bugles
Author: Bill Openshaw
Publisher: McNidder & Grace
ISBN: 0857162519
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
This highly readable illustrated biography on the Percy Tenantry Volunteers has been written with exclusive access to the current Duke of Northumberland's treasure trove of archive records. This book is for anyone interested in military history, especially Revolutionary and the Napoleonic war period, and for those looking at the local history of Northumberland, and especially Alnwick Castle. The history of Britain's conflict with France between 1793 and 1815 is well documented. Nevertheless, one aspect that has scant coverage, is that of the role of Volunteers. In 1798, afraid of impending invasion by France's all-conquering armies the British desperately needed to defend their shores. To The Call of Bugles reveals, for the first time, how among those who stood forward in Home Guard style military bodies, there was no finer example than that of the valiant Percy Tenantry Volunteers, created by the 2nd Duke of Northumberland, General Hugh Percy. This amateur body of men, 1,500 strong, consisting of cavalry, artillery and riflemen, was put together, trained, armed, dressed and operated by General Hugh Percy. This book provides stories from the original volunteers, an in-depth understanding of how such a corps was organised and reveals how they were fashioned into an elite and innovative fighting force.
Publisher: McNidder & Grace
ISBN: 0857162519
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
This highly readable illustrated biography on the Percy Tenantry Volunteers has been written with exclusive access to the current Duke of Northumberland's treasure trove of archive records. This book is for anyone interested in military history, especially Revolutionary and the Napoleonic war period, and for those looking at the local history of Northumberland, and especially Alnwick Castle. The history of Britain's conflict with France between 1793 and 1815 is well documented. Nevertheless, one aspect that has scant coverage, is that of the role of Volunteers. In 1798, afraid of impending invasion by France's all-conquering armies the British desperately needed to defend their shores. To The Call of Bugles reveals, for the first time, how among those who stood forward in Home Guard style military bodies, there was no finer example than that of the valiant Percy Tenantry Volunteers, created by the 2nd Duke of Northumberland, General Hugh Percy. This amateur body of men, 1,500 strong, consisting of cavalry, artillery and riflemen, was put together, trained, armed, dressed and operated by General Hugh Percy. This book provides stories from the original volunteers, an in-depth understanding of how such a corps was organised and reveals how they were fashioned into an elite and innovative fighting force.
The Oxford History of the British Army
Author: David G. Chandler
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0192853333
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 498
Book Description
From longbow, pike, and musket to Challenger tanks, from the Napoleonic Wars to the Gulf Campaign, from the Duke of Marlborough to Field Marshal Montgomery, this stimulating and informative book recounts the history of the British army from its medieval antecedents to the present day. Commanders, campaigns, battles, organization, and weaponry are all covered in detail within the wider context of the social, economic, and political environment in which armies exist and fight, making this the definitive one-volume history of the British army for specialists and non-specialists alike. Book jacket.
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0192853333
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 498
Book Description
From longbow, pike, and musket to Challenger tanks, from the Napoleonic Wars to the Gulf Campaign, from the Duke of Marlborough to Field Marshal Montgomery, this stimulating and informative book recounts the history of the British army from its medieval antecedents to the present day. Commanders, campaigns, battles, organization, and weaponry are all covered in detail within the wider context of the social, economic, and political environment in which armies exist and fight, making this the definitive one-volume history of the British army for specialists and non-specialists alike. Book jacket.
The Napoleonic 'Dad's Army'
Author: PAUL L. DAWSON
Publisher: Frontline Books
ISBN: 9781399037723
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
During the crisis year of 1792 when war against France was at its closest, a variety of societies and associations of 'Loyal Britons' were set up throughout Britain. Their aim was to organise patriotic, anti-French forces in defense of king and country, and to help maintain the established order. The need to provide an internal defense force resulted in the Volunteer Act of 1794. It witnessed the formation of hundreds of volunteer regiments on the upswell in loyalist sentiment following the disorder and instability witnessed across the Channel in Revolutionary France. By 1798, there were 118,000 volunteers but, faced with the possibility of a French invasion of Southern England, William Pitt's government aimed to expand this number substantially. By 1804 there were an astonishing 380,000 volunteers under arms and the various Corps made up half to one third of all the home service forces. When we add in those volunteers who agreed to serve overseas, as garrison troops in India for example, the number grows to approximately 800,000 - meaning that around one in every five adult males participated in military activities. This amazing groundswell of patriotic fervour has seldom been investigated before. Using diaries and archive sources, this book seeks to explore the 'Dad's Army' of the Napoleonic Wars. These men were far more than local bands of volunteers, they represented a militarisation of society not previously seen and which was repeated again when the world was thrown into war in the twentieth century.
Publisher: Frontline Books
ISBN: 9781399037723
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
During the crisis year of 1792 when war against France was at its closest, a variety of societies and associations of 'Loyal Britons' were set up throughout Britain. Their aim was to organise patriotic, anti-French forces in defense of king and country, and to help maintain the established order. The need to provide an internal defense force resulted in the Volunteer Act of 1794. It witnessed the formation of hundreds of volunteer regiments on the upswell in loyalist sentiment following the disorder and instability witnessed across the Channel in Revolutionary France. By 1798, there were 118,000 volunteers but, faced with the possibility of a French invasion of Southern England, William Pitt's government aimed to expand this number substantially. By 1804 there were an astonishing 380,000 volunteers under arms and the various Corps made up half to one third of all the home service forces. When we add in those volunteers who agreed to serve overseas, as garrison troops in India for example, the number grows to approximately 800,000 - meaning that around one in every five adult males participated in military activities. This amazing groundswell of patriotic fervour has seldom been investigated before. Using diaries and archive sources, this book seeks to explore the 'Dad's Army' of the Napoleonic Wars. These men were far more than local bands of volunteers, they represented a militarisation of society not previously seen and which was repeated again when the world was thrown into war in the twentieth century.
Very Life of Life
Author: Tom Gordon
Publisher: Wild Goose Publications
ISBN: 1849526125
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 392
Book Description
A year of daily reflections. When our time is limited, a short reflection can be as much as we can manage. When life is complex and difficult, a simple idea may be all we need. When each day is about making sense of what's happening to us, a reflective sound bite might help us through. Tom Gordon's reflections are simple and direct, but from his experience and wisdom he offers deep insights for the 'very life of life' we are living today.
Publisher: Wild Goose Publications
ISBN: 1849526125
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 392
Book Description
A year of daily reflections. When our time is limited, a short reflection can be as much as we can manage. When life is complex and difficult, a simple idea may be all we need. When each day is about making sense of what's happening to us, a reflective sound bite might help us through. Tom Gordon's reflections are simple and direct, but from his experience and wisdom he offers deep insights for the 'very life of life' we are living today.
The Complete A-Z of Dad's Army
Author: Richard Webber
Publisher: Orion Publishing Company
ISBN: 9780752846378
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Book Description
'The success of Dad's Army can be summed up in a line from the first episode when the bumptious Captain Mainwaring says: "The machine-guns could have a clear field of fire from here to Timothy White's ... if it wasn't for that woman in the telephone box."' The Independent Dad's Army is quite simply the most successful British TV sitcom of all time. 80 episodes were made and are constantly repeated. The first black-and-white series, re-shown for the first time in 1999, attracted 4.6m viewers outperforming Have I got News for You and very nearly outstripping Channel Four's most popular programme Friends. When the second series was shown on Saturday nights in 1998 it took 7 million viewers and 40% of the audience. This book will be the last word on the series. There have been other books, but this is first to present the whole story from how the series got made - scripts, locations, filming, the real history of the Home Guard, the background to the actors who played in the series, every episode catalogued and much more. The creators have volunteered to open their archives, which include the original programme research, annotated scripts and location photographs. Now recognised as one of the great shows of this and any TV era, Perry and Croft have decided the programme requires a monument and this book will be it.
Publisher: Orion Publishing Company
ISBN: 9780752846378
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Book Description
'The success of Dad's Army can be summed up in a line from the first episode when the bumptious Captain Mainwaring says: "The machine-guns could have a clear field of fire from here to Timothy White's ... if it wasn't for that woman in the telephone box."' The Independent Dad's Army is quite simply the most successful British TV sitcom of all time. 80 episodes were made and are constantly repeated. The first black-and-white series, re-shown for the first time in 1999, attracted 4.6m viewers outperforming Have I got News for You and very nearly outstripping Channel Four's most popular programme Friends. When the second series was shown on Saturday nights in 1998 it took 7 million viewers and 40% of the audience. This book will be the last word on the series. There have been other books, but this is first to present the whole story from how the series got made - scripts, locations, filming, the real history of the Home Guard, the background to the actors who played in the series, every episode catalogued and much more. The creators have volunteered to open their archives, which include the original programme research, annotated scripts and location photographs. Now recognised as one of the great shows of this and any TV era, Perry and Croft have decided the programme requires a monument and this book will be it.
How the French Won Waterloo - or Think They Did
Author: Stephen Clarke
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1473506360
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
Published in the 200th Anniversary year of the Battle of Waterloo a witty look at how the French still think they won, by Stephen Clarke, author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French and A Year in the Merde. Two centuries after the Battle of Waterloo, the French are still in denial. If Napoleon lost on 18 June 1815 (and that's a big 'if'), then whoever rules the universe got it wrong. As soon as the cannons stopped firing, French historians began re-writing history. The Duke of Wellington was beaten, they say, and then the Prussians jumped into the boxing ring, breaking all the rules of battle. In essence, the French cannot bear the idea that Napoleon, their greatest-ever national hero, was in any way a loser. Especially not against the traditional enemy – les Anglais. Stephen Clarke has studied the French version of Waterloo, as told by battle veterans, novelists, historians – right up to today's politicians, and he has uncovered a story of pain, patriotism and sheer perversion ...
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1473506360
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
Published in the 200th Anniversary year of the Battle of Waterloo a witty look at how the French still think they won, by Stephen Clarke, author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French and A Year in the Merde. Two centuries after the Battle of Waterloo, the French are still in denial. If Napoleon lost on 18 June 1815 (and that's a big 'if'), then whoever rules the universe got it wrong. As soon as the cannons stopped firing, French historians began re-writing history. The Duke of Wellington was beaten, they say, and then the Prussians jumped into the boxing ring, breaking all the rules of battle. In essence, the French cannot bear the idea that Napoleon, their greatest-ever national hero, was in any way a loser. Especially not against the traditional enemy – les Anglais. Stephen Clarke has studied the French version of Waterloo, as told by battle veterans, novelists, historians – right up to today's politicians, and he has uncovered a story of pain, patriotism and sheer perversion ...
The Black Count
Author: Tom Reiss
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307952959
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 434
Book Description
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR BIOGRAPHY • ONE OF ESQUIRE’S BEST BIOGRAPHIES OF ALL TIME General Alex Dumas is a man almost unknown today, yet his story is strikingly familiar—because his son, the novelist Alexandre Dumas, used his larger-than-life feats as inspiration for such classics as The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. But, hidden behind General Dumas's swashbuckling adventures was an even more incredible secret: he was the son of a black slave—who rose higher in the white world than any man of his race would before our own time. Born in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), Alex Dumas made his way to Paris, where he rose to command armies at the height of the Revolution—until he met an implacable enemy he could not defeat. The Black Count is simultaneously a riveting adventure story, a lushly textured evocation of 18th-century France, and a window into the modern world’s first multi-racial society. TIME magazine called The Black Count "one of those quintessentially human stories of strength and courage that sheds light on the historical moment that made it possible." But it is also a heartbreaking story of the enduring bonds of love between a father and son.
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307952959
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 434
Book Description
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR BIOGRAPHY • ONE OF ESQUIRE’S BEST BIOGRAPHIES OF ALL TIME General Alex Dumas is a man almost unknown today, yet his story is strikingly familiar—because his son, the novelist Alexandre Dumas, used his larger-than-life feats as inspiration for such classics as The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. But, hidden behind General Dumas's swashbuckling adventures was an even more incredible secret: he was the son of a black slave—who rose higher in the white world than any man of his race would before our own time. Born in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), Alex Dumas made his way to Paris, where he rose to command armies at the height of the Revolution—until he met an implacable enemy he could not defeat. The Black Count is simultaneously a riveting adventure story, a lushly textured evocation of 18th-century France, and a window into the modern world’s first multi-racial society. TIME magazine called The Black Count "one of those quintessentially human stories of strength and courage that sheds light on the historical moment that made it possible." But it is also a heartbreaking story of the enduring bonds of love between a father and son.
Napoleon's Hemorrhoids
Author: Phil Mason
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing Inc.
ISBN: 1602397643
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
Discusses how small events impacted the outcomes of significant historical events, describing the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Battle of Waterloo, along with Adolph Hitler's real name, the almost stillbirth of Pablo Picasso, and more.
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing Inc.
ISBN: 1602397643
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
Discusses how small events impacted the outcomes of significant historical events, describing the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Battle of Waterloo, along with Adolph Hitler's real name, the almost stillbirth of Pablo Picasso, and more.