A Question of Honour, The Life of Lieutenant General Valentine Baker Pasha, by Anne Baker. Pen & Sword Books Ltd., 1996.

Although it nowhere says so, it seems a safe assumption that the author is a descendent-in-law of the title character. For one thing, the book is dedicated to her late husband, Valentine Edward Baker.

As might be expected, then, the theme of the book is a defense of Baker and attempt to restore his reputation. For a surprise, it doesn't do such a bad job and is a grand read besides. For those who may not know, Baker came from a "good family" (his brother was the African explorer, Sir Samuel Baker). He counted Col. Fred Burnaby who was killed at Abu Klea, as well as the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII among his friends. As Colonel of the 10th Hussars and a respected authority on cavalry training and tactics, his future seemed assured when, on 28 August, 1875, while on his way to a review at Aldershot, he was accused of assaulting a young woman in a railway carriage. He was convicted, fined and imprisoned, and dismissed from the service. Socially, he was ruined. He refused to speak in his own defense at trial or offer any exculpatory evidence and, up to now, it has been generally assumed that he was guilty. Byron Farwell, writing in Queen Victoria's Little Wars, certainly seems to think so.

While not entirely convincing, this book does offer a plausible alternative. Based in part on family records, the author argues that Baker mistakenly believed the woman to be part of his own sophisticated set and was flirting with her in a good humored way. and that, at trial, he acted the true mid-Victorian and refused to say anything which would cast doubt on a lady's veracity. Well, maybe. Whether the reader accepts this explanation or not, the whole affair is an interesting insight into the attitudes and assumptions of the time, more foreign to us than we often realize.

The book is divided into roughly three equal parts. The first describes Baker's childhood, education and promising early career, the second part covers the INCIDENT and trial and the third his taking employment with the Turkish army and his career there. While in Turkish employ, he saw action in the Russo-Turkish war of 1877 and, of course, against the followers of the Mahdi at El Teb. This part of the book, while not going into great detail, is lucid and clearly presented, with several maps. As these campaigns are not extensively covered in most standard works, they are most welcome here.

With the caveat that the author is hardly neutral, I recommend this book both as an insight into Victorian society and as an adventurous life of a brave, if perhaps flawed, officer.