Fred: The Collected Letters and Speeches of Colonel Frederick Gustavus Burnaby: 1878-1885 (2) - Rilegato

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 190998213X ISBN 13: 9781909982130

Casa editrice: Helion & Co Ltd, 2014

Riassunto

Colonel Fred Burnaby of the Blues, six feet four inches tall and with a riding weight of over twenty stone, was one of the most recognisable soldier/adventurers of the late Victorian period. As a young officer he became famous as an athlete, gymnast, swordsman and pugilist, reputed to be the strongest man in the British army. In working his way to the command of the Blues, the country's most prestigious cavalry regiment, he made some notable friends and not a few enemies. He also found time for numerous journeys involving considerable hardship. He was a brilliant modern linguist and spoke seven languages fluently. Born into the landed gentry, he increased his financial independence by marrying a young heiress, who produced an heir and promptly decamped to climb mountains in Switzerland. In 1882 he became the first person to make a solo balloon crossing of the English Channel. As his army career approached its close he stood unsuccessfully for Birmingham as a Conservative. His regimental seniority at the time of the Egyptian Campaign of 1882 precluded him joining the newly formed Camel Corps, but he was determined not to leave the army without facing action. In 1884 he travelled to Egypt and participated in both battles of El Teb. Returning to England with his arm in a sling, his popularity with the public became greater than ever. This was not echoed at the War Office, where he was increasingly regarded as a loose cannon. On the Gordon Relief Expedition of 1884 he was denied attachment to the staff of his hero, General Wolseley, but travelled to Egypt anyway and eventually found himself second in command on the dessert march to Metemmeh. He never arrived, killed by a spear through the throat in hand-to-hand fighting at the battle of Abu Klea. Even his death was controversial, with songs in his memory being sung in the music halls at the same time as his fellow officers criticised orders he had given during the battle. Two of Burnaby's books have barely been out or print since they were first published, but his other works are much more difficult to find. His biographers have often included excerpts from his letters and speeches in their works, but none comprehensively. This book is intended to provide both. It also includes a new biography of Burnaby, the first to have been written for almost sixty years. Volume 1 covered his early life, including his journeys to Spain as a special correspondent during the Third Carlist War, Khartoum, Khiva and Asia Minor and his place at the side of Baker Pasha at the battle of Tashkessan in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877/78. Volume 2 covers his political career and his participation in the Egyptian Campaigns of 1883/4 and 1884/5, culminating in his death.

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Recensione:

These two volumes succeed hugely as a biography of a figure renowned in his time ... the rigour of the research and the presentation provide something much wider; a work of insight into the social workings of the Victorian Army. It is unlikely to be surpassed. The volumes themselves are also a delight to hold as produced books, sustaining Helion s record for a quality product in every sense. --Society of Friends of the National Army Museum Book Review Supplement

L'autore:

Graduating from Oxford University in 1973 with a degree in physics, John spent all of his working life in finance, along the way gaining an MBA from Bradford University in 1978 and an MSc in Risk Management from City University in 2000. He is a Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights and a Past Chairman of the Oriental Club. / His serious interest in history commenced in 2009, when he began to research the origins of a Victorian charity of which he had been a trustee for many years. This culminated in the award of a PhD from Kingston University in 2012 for his thesis 'Henry Gardner's Trust for the Blind: formation, development and decline (1879-1945)'. / Fred was conceived in 2011, when the eponymous hero was first encountered on a train journey to St Petersburg in the winter of 1871/72. Although not named, he was easily identifiable by his description and it soon became clear that this was the same giant officer of the Blues made famous in the iconic portrait by Tissot at the National Portrait Gallery. It also became clear that nobody had ever collected and edited Burnaby's voluminous letters and speeches and that a modern biography was long overdue. / John's current research project, back at Oxford, involves a critical review of the early images of that city from 1566 to 1733, understanding the skills of the people that produced them and the reliance that can be placed on what they drew.

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• Editore: Helion & Co Ltd
• Data di pubblicazione: 2014
• ISBN 10: 190998213X
• ISBN 13: 9781909982130
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 583
• Redattore: Hawkins John W. Dr.