Conway Maritime Press have recently published Building the Wooden Walls - The Design and Construction of the 74-Gun Ship Valiant by Brian Lavery, price £ 25. This book looks at the process of construction of a 74-gun ship of the line. The Valiant was inspired by the large French 74, the Invincible, which was captured by the British in 1747 and came to be regarded as the best ship in her class while in service with the Royal Navy, superior to anything built in the English dockyards. The Valiant was built at Chatham and the story of her construction can be seen in the Wooden Walls exhibition on permanent display at Chatham Historic Dockyard.

Mr. Lavery gives a detailed account of the construction of the ship. The drawing of the plans; sources of the timber; Chatham Dockyard and its men; building the frame; the decks; launching; sails and rigging; guns; manning the ship; are all related in a fascinating text accompanied by numerous illustrations (contemporary engravings, plans, surviving relics and photographs of ship models). The Valiant was ready for service in 1759, taking part in the actions at Belle lie (1761) and Havana (1762). She saw service in the American Revolution and the French Revolutionary War, during which she fought at the Glorious First of June. Escort duties in the Channel Fleet led to her being pronounced unfit for seagoing service and she was then used as a Quarantine ship in 1799. She was broken up at Sheerness in 1826.

For those interested in the naval history of the period this book is a fascinating insight into the building of a naval vessel. I found the section on choosing the timber for various parts of the ship to be interesting, and the chapter on Chatham Dockyard includes pictures of the buildings that are still in existence. The price represents good value considering the amount of information the book contains. Recommended.

Spellmount have published The Waters of Oblivion-The British Invasion of the Rio de la Plata, 1806-1807 by Ian Fletcher (Price #16.95 including postage and packing, from Caliver Books). This book relates the tale of one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the British army.

In 1806 British troops invaded the Spanish province of the Rio de la Plata (River Plate); what is now divided into the countries of Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia and Paraguay. The author has used English and Spanish sources to describe the capture of Buenos Aires, the fall of Montevideo, and the ultimate surrender of the British forces. The major and minor actions are included in a very readable text. Wargamers who want something different will find all they require to fight this campaign; many useful maps, orders of battle, and descriptions of the Spanish regular and local forces involved. You can even include characters such as Beresford and Crauford, who fought in this campaign prior to making names for themselves in the Peninsula. Highly recommended.

The last book for review is The Forlorn Hope by Napoleonic Association member John Grehan, and which is published by the Association (Price £ 6.50 including postage and packing, from Caliver Books). This paperback publication tells the story of the battles for the Spanish frontier in 1811 and 1812, and is a very readable account of the British army's attempt to seize the fortresses of Cuidad Rodrigo and Badajoz.

The Peninsular War is one episode of the Napoleonic period that holds much interest and fascination for historians. It is a campaign that involved many epic events, political and military, and one in which the British Army covered itself in glory. It included interesting characters, such as Wellington, Crauford, Beresford, Soult and Massena to name but a few. There were great military engagements and The Forlorn Hope recounts Albuhera, Fuentes d'Onoro, Almeida plus the two great sieges. This is a very readable account of an exciting episode. For the price, as books go these days, it represents good value for money.

To inspire other enthusiasts to put pen to paper and write books on this period (for which I am always grateful for a review copy), I asked John about his reasons and methods for producing this book:

Author Interview: John Grehan

Q. What inspired you to write this book?

A. When I first started writing The Forlorn Hope no historian, since Sir Charles Oman, had devoted any real attention to what I considered was a crucial period of the Peninsular War. Before I had completed the book however, two other books - In Hell Before Daylight and British Sieges of the Peninsular War were published which between them covered much of the same ground as did my book.

Q. How long did it take you to research the material?

A. About five years to research and write the book. I obtained most of the material through the inter-loan service of the Public Library.

Q. How did you get it printed and published?

A. Initially I wrote to the major military book publishers but I received the same reply from them all. Due to the recent publication of the two books mentioned above they did not believe that there was room in what is a relatively restricted market for another similar book.

I was about to consign my manuscript to the bin when I saw an article in Writer's Monthly magazine about a company called SCRIPTMATE who produce shortrun editions of books of a specialist or limited market nature. They agreed (for a fee) to produce my book, but as it was not within their publishing sphere I had to have someone else as the publisher. This is when I contacted John Henderson who was then the editor of the journal of the Napoleonic Association. The idea was put before the NA Committee and accepted.

Q. How did you get booksellers to stock the book?

A. I have not really spent much time promoting the book. It was included in Whittacker's List of Books to Come before it was published and also appeared in the magazine The Bookseller. From these appearances a number of booksellers have already asked for copies including Hatchards and Ken Trotman.

Q. Do you have plans to write any further books?

A. Yes, there is no stopping me now! I am presently writing a book on the Lines of Torres Vedras and Wellington's defence of Portugal in 1810. 1 am traveling to Portugal next year to complete my research. I have plans for other books in the future. Obviously I will try and have my work accepted by a major publisher but until that happens I will be happy for my books to carry the name of the Napoleonic Association.

John also informed me that if there are any NA members who are considering writing a book he will happily give them all the help and encouragement he can. It is a long and lonely road to travel but well worth it in the end.

Dusty Archive: Orders of Battle