| Victoria's Harvest: The Irish Soldier in the Zulu War of 1879 Contributor(s): Truesdale, David (Author), Young, John (Author) |
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ISBN: 1910294527 ISBN-13: 9781910294529 Publisher: Helion & Company OUR PRICE: $71.96 Product Type: Hardcover Published: January 2016 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Modern - 19th Century - History | Africa - South - Republic Of South Africa |
| Dewey: 968.404 |
| Physical Information: 1.3" H x 6.4" W x 9.3" (2.30 lbs) 376 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Cultural Region - Southern Africa |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The tradition of Irish soldiers in the British Army can be traced back many hundreds of years. Henry V at Agincourt faced a superior French army with his small band of brothers that included in their ranks a unit of Irish . This force of light cavalry, some 1,500 strong, had left the port of Cork under the command of Thomas Butler, Prior of Kilmainham, and served with the King throughout his campaign in France. By the time of Agincourt the numbers remaining would have been much less, but contributed to an Irish presence nonetheless. The inclusion of Irish soldiers in the Army continued unabated into reign of Queen Victoria and the General Army Return of 1880 notes the following breakdown of soldiers by place of birth: English 69.7%, Scottish 8%, Irish 20.9% and 'others' as 1.3%. The Welsh would appear to be included in the English total. Again this is by place of birth and does not include men born outside Ireland or on foreign stations of Irish parents, nor can it include those who for various reasons lied about their place of birth, a not infrequent occurrence. This book tells the story of some of the Irish men who served as soldiers in Queen Victoria's Army, before, during and after the Zulu War of 1879. Men who fought not necessarily for a queen or a country, but most often for their regiment; a regiment that had seen numerous fellow Irishmen and often preceding family members serve in its ranks. This book is not about the Zulu War of 1879 per se, enough has already been written on that account. It is the story of some of those Irishmen who volunteered for service in Queen Victoria's Army and found themselves involved in not only the greatest defeat of the British soldier at the hands of a native enemy, but some remarkable victories. In his book 'The Road To Kabul, The Second Afghan War, 1878-1881', Brian Robson writes, "Above all, it seemed curious to me that, while there are books in profusion on such relatively unimportant campaigns as the Zulu War, there is very little indeed on the very much more important subject of the Second Afghan War". In this he is correct, on the world stage the Zulu War contributed little if anything. However, for those who were there, careers were made and ruined, heroes were found and cowards unearthed. |
Contributor Bio(s): Truesdale, David: - David Truesdale took early retirement in 1998 and since then has written for films and television and produced battlefield guides for the Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum, The First Eagle: the 87th Foot at the Battle of Barrosa, and Regulars by God! The 89th Foot at the Battle of Lundy's Lane. For relaxation he paints in watercolor, listens to good music, drinks red wine and finds that Tommaso Albinoni (1671-1750) and his Oboe Concerto in D Minor has been an inspiration during difficult time in any manuscript.Young, John: - "John Young was born in London in 1956 and he has Irish roots on both the maternal and paternal sides of his family. He was educated in Blackheath and North-West London and has written for various publications - including Soldiers of the Queen: The Journal of the Victorian Military Society, in which he served as an officer of the society, before being elected as the Chairman of Anglo-Zulu War Research in 1991. The society was relaunched as the Anglo-Zulu War Royal Research Trust, in which John is the only officer of the Trust who is not a member of the Zulu Royal House. He is the author of They Fell Like Stones: The Battles and Casualties of the Zulu War, 1879 and Victoria's Harvest: The Irish Soldier in the Zulu War of 1879 (Helion, 2016) and is married with two adult sons." |