In 1967 Jac Weller published his detailed work on the 1815 campaign entitled Wellington at Waterloo. Greenhill Books have republished this work at a price of 1:17.50. If you do not have this volume on your shelf already then you now have the chance to acquire a copy without having to search the second-hand bookshops.

It tells the story of the Waterloo campaign from Wellington's viewpoint, using only information available to him at the time. The very readable text looks at the battles of this campaign in very great detail, and is the most lucid account of Quatre Bras and Waterloo that I have read. A very clear picture of the latter engagement is created, helped by a number of aerial photographs of the battlefield. Wellington's victory is analysed, and the mistakes made by all the protagonists are examined. There are also sections on the topography of the campaign (useful if you are touring the area) and details of the contending forces. This is certainly one that should be on everybody's bookshelf.

Conway Maritime Press have published two books that, while the subject matter is either side of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic period, may still be of interest to the student of this era.

The Naval Cutter 'Alert' 1777, by Peter Goodwin, looks at one of the many armed cutters built between 1763 and 1835 for inshore patrol work and reconnaissance duties. These vessels also assisted the Revenue Service. The Alert was built at Dover in 1777/78, and accompanied Keppel's fleet off Ushant in July 1778. Whilst on reconnaissance duties she was captured by the French frigate Junon, on the 17th July. This book is detailed breakdown of every part of such a ship as the Alert. If you have a deep interest in the warships of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, then you will find this book of interest. It is priced at £ 20.

While my interest in naval history is mainly confined to the Napoleonic period, I found the second offering from Conway a fascinating read. Andrew Lambert has written The Last Sailing Battleffeet - Maintaining Naval Mastery 1815-1850, price 05. Between those years the Royal Navy built its last sailing battlefleet, based upon lessons learnt during the Napoleonic Wars, and upon naval requirements in the post war era. Many of the ships had seen service in the early part of the century, and many new vessels were constructed based on the tried and tested designs of the Napoleonic period. This volume examines the strategy, tactics, technology, design history, construction and maintenance of the battlefleet. It is amazing the number of nineteenth century warships that survived until the late 1940s, when they were scuttled due to lack of funds to restore and maintain them. This book is recommended reading for naval historians.

(Books reviewed in current edition DUSTY ARCHIVE available post free from Partizan to subscribers)

More Dusty Archive

Introduction and Study Groups
Museums: Review of 23rd Foot Regt Museum
Monuments and Holidays
Books
Napoleon's Body Odor
1992 Meetings