Nelson's Officers and Midshipmen

Description

Filled with the promise of adventure and glory, the Royal Navy of the Napoleonic era enticed hundreds of young men to enlist as officers in its bitter struggle against the French fleet. With some as young as nine, these boys were confronted with the harsh realities of warfare at sea: cramped conditions, ruthless storms and fierce combat. In spite of their youth, these sailors showed enormous courage and valour in the face of battle, their bravery immortalised in the literary works of Patrick O'Brian, C. S. Forester and Alexander Kent. Drawing from letters, poems and personal accounts, this book uncovers the remarkable story of those boys who fought aboard His Majesty's mighty ships-of-the-line to defend their kingdom against the French.

Gregory Fremont-Barnes holds a doctorate in Modern History from the University of Oxford and serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of War Studies at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. A prolific author, his books include Waterloo 1815: The British Army's Day of Destiny and many others on military and naval subjects covering the 18th to the 21st centuries. Holding a particular interest in insurgency and counterinsurgency, his wider work for the UK Ministry of Defence on these subjects regularly takes him to Africa, the Middle East and South America. As an academic advisor, Dr Fremont-Barnes has accompanied many groups of British Army officers and senior NCOs in their visits to numerous battlefields of the Peninsular War, the Waterloo campaign, Normandy and the Falklands. Steve Noon has had a life-long passion for illustration, and since 1985 has worked as a professional artist. Steve has provided award-winning illustrations for the publishers Dorling Kindersley, where his interest in historical illustration began.

"I found this to be a particularly good read. I learned a great deal and had several of my earlier conceptions about this time and these people changed. It is a book that I most highly recommend to you." --Scott Van Aken, www.modelingmadness.com (August 2009) "I can honestly say I enjoyed this book. The writing and illustrations go hand in hand. Both are top notch and easy to follow. Those of us who are also Naval enthusiasts will really want to get this and add it to their reference library. Plus if you ever wish to venture into figures the illustrations will help out in the painting of them as well." --Jim Adams, Model Shipwrights (September 2009)