Soldiers of the Queen

It may come as some surprise that in such a popular area of military history there is no book that focuses on the experience of the Victorian soldier - from recruitment to embarkation, fighting and perhaps returning, perhaps dying - in his own words. Dr Manning's meticulous research in primary sources gives the lie to the received image of the disciplined, redcoated campaigner of Victorian art and literature: for one thing, by the time he arrived at his destination, the coat would have been in rags. The distances covered on march were unbelievable, through desert and disease-ravaged swamp. Lavishly illustrated throughout, all the major Colonial campaigns and most of the minor ones are featured. To understand how what was in reality a tiny standing army controlled the largest empire the world has ever seen, this book is a must.

DR STEPHEN MANNING is an Honorary Research Fellow of the History Department of the University of Exeter and Honorary Secretary of the Devonshire Historical Association. He lectures regularly on varied aspects of military history at such venues as the Royal Engineer's Museum and the National Army Museum.