FOLLOWING THE DRUM: WOMEN IN WELLINGTON'S WARS. by Page, F.C.G., Brigadier. Foreword by Elizabeth Longford - 1986

London: Andre Deutsch, 1986. 150 pp, large 8vo (9 1/2" H). B&w illustrations. "Although the Duke of Wellington's Peninsular War and Waterloo campaigns (1808-15) have been well documented by the great military historians, biographers and diarists of the period, many general readers are unaware that it was the custom of each regiment to be accompanied by a number of wives when it left England to go to war. Now Brigadier Page has unearthed a wealth of fascinating detail about these dedicated women, who made a contribution to morale, and hence to victory, that has never before been fully acknowledged. In an elegant and lively style, he describes the selection process whereby wives drew 'To-Go' of 'Not-to-Go' tickets out of a hat, their life on the troopships and their semi-official role as cooks and washerwomen to the invading army. He also recounts the experiences of the large entourage of Spanish, Portuguese and French women who shared the suffering and dangers endured by their English admirers until the fighting was over, and were very often abandoned when the troops returned home. Many of the women were faithful, courageous and hardworking, others flighty and lacking in discipline, but they all coped with incredible harship in order to keep their families together and to bring some light and comfort into the brutal lives of the fighting soldiers. (This book weaves) authentic historical detail in accounts of individual heroism, tragedy and comedy, all of which are tremendously engaging and very well told. Culled from diaries and memoirs of the men who fought in Wellington's campaigns, and enhanced by contemporary illustrations, these stories make a genuine contribution to scholarship and provide a lasting tribute to the women who followed the drum." Dust jacket has been price clipped, minor wrinkle at top of spine, minor rubbing, wrinkle in laminate on rear panel.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good+/Very Good.