Following The Drum : The Lives of Army Wives and Daughters Past and Present by Annabel Venning - 2005

Headline, London, 2005. First Edition. Hardcover (Original Cloth). As New/As New. Spanning four centuries, from the 1660s to the present day, Following the Drum 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. correspondence and interviews Annabel Venning 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. Following the Drum also looks at the trials and tribulations of day-to-day life in 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. Size: Octavo (standard book size). 372 pages. in archive acetate film protection. Dust Jacket un-clipped. Gilt titles spine. black cloth; Colour, b/w. & monochrome illustrations;. Includes notes, bibliography & index. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilogram. Category: Military & Warfare; History; Military History; British Army; Women & Feminism. ISBN: 0755312589. ISBN/EAN: 9780755312580. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 2686. . 9780755312580