Featured battle : Narva

Part of Second or Great Northern War

Date : 20 November 1700

The Russians with an army of 40,000 were besieging the city of Narva. Charles XII, commanding about 10,000 Swedes came to relieve the city. Aided by a snowstorm the Swedes attacked the Russians breaking through the centre of their line and then fanning out to take forces in the flank. The shock tactics, carried out at speed and with great bravery, surprised the mainly 'green' Russian soldiers. The battle was significant success for Charles XII and his Swedes but the ease of the victory sowed the seeds of his eventual defeat.

The Men of Wellington's Light Division

Gareth Glover and Robert Burnham
The vast majority of this book consists of letters written by officers of the 43rd Light Infantry to their families and friends back home. The authors have done a splendid job in searching out these previously unpublished accounts of the lives of these men. The reader gets a fascinating insight into what mattered to the men. The range of their concerns/interests is enormous but food, money, clothing, billeting and promotion get regular mention. There isn’t a great deal of detail about the actions they were part of perhaps this is avoided to spare the recipients although the wounding and death of fellow officers and men is often reported. One particular poignant letter from Ensign John Brumwell where, after having the officers on each side of him killed, he writes ‘I am beginning to think the ball is not yet cast that is intended for me.’ The next letter his parents received was to tell them of his death.
This book contains a wealth of information, written without the ‘benefit’ of hindsight, which will enrich our understanding of life in Wellington’s army. We highly recommend it as a jolly good read.

Frontline Books, 2022