The Battle That Changed The World

[Ian FG]

Tony,

 

Is this the one you mean? I might wait for a few more reviews and a paperback edition.

[Tony U]

Yes or the other book by Max Adams

"The Other Man Who Won Trafalgar".

Both are about Collingwod, I wonder what the difference is? they were only published months apart.

Trafalgar Day should have been a Natioanl Holiday this year; I will be watching the Fireworks over the Medway on Friday night, probably from Upnor or Brompton though.

 

[ 19. October 2005, 12:24 PM: Message edited by: Tony U ]

[severus]

Nice pic, Ian, and you're right - Nelson's vicory at the Nile was huge because it stranded Napoleon's armies in Egypt and turned the Med. into a British lake. The little corporal abandoned his troops to their fate and went home like he would later do in Russia. What a schmuck.

[Ian FG]

Severus, a schmuck he certainly was but at his peak the smart money would be on him to win any given battle. A good job he did go to Russia to screw things up, it left the way clear for Wellington to give his armies in the Iberian peninsula a good hiding.

 

Being British and being fond of history has many advantages, so long as one doesn't read about any conflicts involving AMERICANS!

 

[ 19. October 2005, 02:37 PM: Message edited by: Ian FG ]

[DavyR]

Ah, well the British "thin red line" that proved so effective against Napoleon's infantry advancing in column wasn't quite so handy against those damned colonials who wouldn't stand up and fight properly in brightly coloured uniforms at about 30 yards distance...

[MJB]

DavyR:

Ah, well the British "thin red line" that proved so effective against Napoleon's infantry advancing in column wasn't quite so handy against those damned colonials who wouldn't stand up and fight properly in brightly coloured uniforms at about 30 yards distance...

The 'thin red line'hails from the Crimean War and was speckled with whatever colour uniforms the Turks wore.

[DavyR]

MJB - You're quite right: http://www.oed.com/learning/word-stories/red-line.html

I was using the expression in an anachronistic context to illustrate the contrast between the musketry styles of the two opposing forces!

[severus]

Ian FG:

 

Being British and being fond of history has many advantages, so long as one doesn't read about any conflicts involving AMERICANS!

Hmmm, not sure what you mean there, Ian. :confused:

[Ian FG]

Severus,

 

These forums will never be as good as real conversation will they? Without body language and inflection and emphasis etc.

 

What I meant was the British have a lot of history which is extra enjoyable to read if one happens to be British. We enjoyed a lot of military and naval success in the past (with a few not so glorious chapters). The point I was making about Americans was a sort of compliment, I meant that whenever the British fought the Americans they lost (although we did stop you guys from taking Canada in the 1812 war) , this also linked to my picture of the USS Constitution which was so successful at fighting British ships.

[Alan Stubbs]

Tony U:

Or what about that great Chatham Warship HMS Victory:

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Victory

My sister did her sail-maker's apprenticeship in Chatham Dockyard and worked over the original sail patterns for HMS Victory. She was so motivated she took a trip to Pompey to have a look at the ship itself.

 

Charles Dickens's or his father (I forget which), was a wages clerk in the 'yard too. Samuel Pepys was a frequent visitor there as a senior civil servant.