SALE! Following the Drum : The Lives of Army Wives and Daughters

50% off all books when you buy 5 or more.
X-library book, with some stamps, but overall vg condition, with protective cover, near fine condition inside except for tear on inside endsheet. 1st edition and 1st printing. FIRST Printing with the Correct Printers Key - 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Spanning four centuries, from the 1660s to the present day, this book tells the stories of the wives, daughters and mistresses of the British army who followed their military menfolk to some of the most treacherous places in the world. The backdrops to their stories constitute some of the set pieces of British history, such as the battles of Blenheim, Waterloo, Balaklava and Mafeking. Drawing on memoirs, corresponcdence and interviews the author paints a vivid portrait of the extraordinary lives of women whose courage, resilience and resourcefulness have often been overlooked. She tells of women taken captive, or forced to become fugitives in enemy territory; of women who endured long marches and harsh sieges; women who chose to follow their men on to the battlefield itself, women who had to give birth to the sound of cannon fire and then march on minutes later; women who found themselves widowed and alone in a strange land; and of women who struggled to keep themselves and their families alive as the world they knew disintegrated around them. As well as the action and drama, blood and battles, this book also looks at the trials and tribulations of day-to-day life in the barracks; the problems of doing the laundry in the Crimea or finding food for a baby in riot-torn post-war India. There are tales of balls, moonlit picnics and illicit affairs, of pompous commanders, hostile natives and devoted servants, but most of all there are the personal tragedies, hopes and ambitions of these unsung heroines. Illustrated. 372 pp.