{"title":"Carole Divall","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"inside-the-regiment-the-officers-and-men-of-the-30th-regiment-during-the-revolut-book-carole-divall-9781848844537","title":"Inside the Regiment: The Officers and Men of the 30th Regiment During the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars","description":"In this companion volume to her pioneering study Redcoats Against Napoleon, Carole Divall tells the fascinating inside story of a typical infantry regiment during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Rather than focusing on the history of the 30th Regiment of the Line in action and on campaign, she explores its organization, traditions and hierarchy, its personnel, and the ethos that held it together. Using primary source material, in particular surviving regimental records, War Office documents, letters and journals, she reconstructs the life of the 30th Foot - and the lives of the men who served in it - during a critical period in Europe's military history.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49550375158033,"sku":"GOR005659863","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1848844530.jpg?v=1751445635"},{"product_id":"redcoats-against-napoleon-book-carole-divall-9781844158515","title":"Redcoats Against Napoleon","description":"Military histories of the struggle against the French armies of the Revolution and Napoleon often focus on the exploits of elite units and famous individuals, ignoring the essential contribution made by the ordinary soldiers - the bulk of the British army. Carole Divall, in this graphic and painstakingly researched account, tells the story of one such hitherto ignored group of fighting men, the 30th Regiment of the Line. She takes their story from one of the opening clashes of the long war, the Siege of Toulon in 1793, to the decisive Battle of Waterloo in 1815. She gives us a fresh perspective on key events the men took part in - Massena's retreat from the Lines of Torres Vedras, the bloody storming of Badajoz, the retreat from Burgos, the ordeal of the troops holding the centre of Wellington's Waterloo position. The regiment's history - which she describes using some hitherto unpublished and vivid memoirs left by the men themselves and those they fought alongside - offers a fascinating insight into the life of British soldiers two centuries ago.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49557967929617,"sku":"GOR004257793","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53334854009105,"sku":"GOR010640134","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1844158519.jpg?v=1751444606"},{"product_id":"wellington-s-worst-scrape-book-carole-divall-9781848848429","title":"Wellington's Worst Scrape","description":"The disastrous retreat and near disintegration of Sir John Moore's army on the road to Corunna in 1809 is traditionally regarded as the low point in the history of the British intervention in the Peninsular War. Yet under the Duke of Wellington the British and their allies suffered defeats and retreats that tend to be overshadowed by the series of victories that eventually drove the French from Portugal and Spain. None of these setbacks was graver than the retreat that followed the disastrous failure of the siege of Burgos in 1812. It is this, less than glorious, phase of the Peninsular campaign that is the subject of Carole Divall's latest study of the British army of the Napoleonic Wars.By reconstructing events in close detail, and by bringing together [many] primary sources, she gives a vivid account of what happened and why. Wellington himself recognized the mistakes and miscalculations that led to the potentially catastrophic situation in which he placed his men. He described it as his 'worst scrape'.  Yet most of the letters, journals and memoirs that have survived praise the skill with which he saved Britain's only army from disaster. Carole Divall weaves together Wellington's despatches with the eyewitness testimony left by British and Portuguese officers and men, by civilians, and by the French. A fascinating, multi-layered impression emerges of the siege of Burgos itself and the sequence of manoeuvres that preceded it. She describes in authentic detail the tense decision-making and the misjudgements that were made on the allied side and the headlong retreat that followed as the British fled from two French armies that threatened to trap and destroy them.Carole Divall's in-depth study of a pivotal - and neglected - episode in the Peninsular War gives a fascinating insight into the character of the fighting, at every level, and into the strengths and weaknesses of Wellington's command.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49560179998993,"sku":"GOR004956427","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49621804286225,"sku":"GOR010251842","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50467864674577,"sku":"CIN1848848420G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1848848420.jpg?v=1751249152"},{"product_id":"wellington-and-the-vitoria-campaign-1813-book-carole-divall-9781526774026","title":"Wellington and the Vitoria Campaign 1813","description":"Over two hundred years ago, on 21 June 1813, just southwest of Vitoria in northern Spain, the British, Portuguese and Spanish army commanded by the Duke of Wellington confronted the French army of Napoleon's brother Joseph. Hours later Wellington's forces won an overwhelming victory and, after six years of bitter occupation, the French were ousted from Iberia. This is the critical battle that Carole Divall focuses on in this vivid, scholarly study of the last phase of the Peninsular War.  The battle was the pivotal event of the 1813 campaign - it was fatal to French interests in Spain - but it is also significant because it demonstrated Wellington's confidence in his allied army and in himself. The complexity of the manoeuvres he expected his men to carry out and the shrewd strategic planning that preceded the battle were quite remarkable.  As well as giving a graphic close description of each stage of the battle, Carole Divall sets it in the wider scope of the Peninsular War. Through the graphic recollections of the men who were there -from commanders to the merest foot soldiers -she offers us a direct insight into the reality of combat during the Napoleonic Wars.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49740574884113,"sku":"NGR9781526774026","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51707022541073,"sku":"GOR014371212","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/152677402X.jpg?v=1750894248"},{"product_id":"wellington-s-unsung-heroes-book-carole-divall-9781915113924","title":"Wellington's Unsung Heroes","description":"The men of the Fifth Division ('The Pioneers') were among the workhorses of the British Peninsular army. Lacking both the kudos and the wealth of letters, journals and memoirs of divisions like the Third and the Light, it is easy to overlook the part they played in the struggle that finally drove the French out of Spain and Portugal. Yet they were the first troops into the streets of Badajoz. They, along with the Third Division, played a crucial part in the great victory at Salamanca. And they made up the bulk of the troops that finally took San Sebastian after a protracted and bloody siege. There is also a surprisingly wide range of material that records both their exploits and the experience of serving in the war, extending from the voices of men in the ranks to company and staff officers, brigade commanders, and the journal of the aide-de-camp of the general most associated with the division, James Leith. Looking at one division in detail also allows analysis of the divisional system as it functioned in Wellington's Peninsular Army. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to retell a familiar story from a less familiar perspective and thus demonstrate the strategic relationship between the parts and the whole while also emphasizing that wars are fought by individuals - and no two individuals react in the same way. Each man's experience is his own.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49743254978833,"sku":"NGR9781915113924","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/191511392X.jpg?v=1751631700"},{"product_id":"wellington-s-unsung-heroes-book-carole-divall-9781915113917","title":"Wellington's Unsung Heroes","description":"The men of the Fifth Division ('The Pioneers') were among the workhorses of the British Peninsular army. Lacking both the kudos and the wealth of letters, journals and memoirs of divisions like the Third and the Light, it is easy to overlook the part they played in the struggle that finally drove the French out of Spain and Portugal. Yet they were the first troops into the streets of Badajoz. They, along with the Third Division, played a crucial part in the great victory at Salamanca. And they made up the bulk of the troops that finally took San Sebastian after a protracted and bloody siege. There is also a surprisingly wide range of material that records both their exploits and the experience of serving in the war, extending from the voices of men in the ranks to company and staff officers, brigade commanders, and the journal of the aide-de-camp of the general most associated with the division, James Leith. Looking at one division in detail also allows analysis of the divisional system as it functioned in Wellington's Peninsular Army.The purpose of this study, therefore, is to retell a familiar story from a less familiar perspective and thus demonstrate the strategic relationship between the parts and the whole while also emphasizing that wars are fought by individuals - and no two individuals react in the same way. Each man's experience is his own.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49743296790801,"sku":"NGR9781915113917","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1915113911.jpg?v=1751630900"},{"product_id":"napoleonic-lives-researching-the-british-soldiers-of-the-napoleonic-wars-book-carole-divall-9781848845749","title":"Napoleonic Lives: Researching the British Soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars","description":"Two hundred years ago the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars convulsed the whole of Europe. These were key events in the history of the continent, and for Britain, and they are a fascinating field for historical - and family history - research. More records than ever are available on the men who served in the British army during the wars - and on their families - and Carole Divall's new book is the perfect guide to how to locate and understand these sources - and get the most out of them. She gives a vivid insight into what soldiers' lives were like during the period and shows how much of their experience can be recovered from the records. Using the full range of sources - contemporary military records, correspondence, diaries, memoirs - she reconstructs in detail the stories of a representative group of individuals who took part in the wars - a soldier who saw action as a marine in the Mediterranean fleet, a Gordon Highlander who was taken prisoner, riflemen who served at Walcheren, in the Peninsula and at Waterloo, artillerymen who played a crucial role in battles and in sieges, a gentry family whose sons served as officers in the Peninsula and in India, and two remarkable women who were among the many who went to war with the men.Carole Divall's informative and accessible book will be essential reading and reference for anyone who wants to find out about the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and is keen to understand the part an ancestor played in them.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50068019740945,"sku":"GOR005967681","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/B0092G6SWW.jpg?v=1751123162"},{"product_id":"the-british-army-in-egypt-1801-book-carole-divall-9781911628149","title":"The The British Army in Egypt 1801","description":"When the French declared war on Great Britain in 1793, they undermined the chosen policy of William Pitt, which had been to avoid conflict in order to repair the nation's finances. The result of this policy was an understrength and inadequately resourced army. Whether campaigning on the continent in coalition with other European powers or picking up the colonial possessions of France and her allies, this army did little to add to its reputation. Yet, despite appearances, as the decade progressed there could be no doubt that improvements were taking place. When it was decided in 1800 that the French Army of the Orient, abandoned by Bonaparte, could be ejected from Egypt, the troops sent to achieve this objective were of a very different quality from those that had been dispatched to Flanders in 1793. This study analyses that force and its commanders, examines the preparations that contributed so notably to its success, and evaluates why it was able to take the fight to a battle-hardened Revolutionary force and defeat it.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50161361289489,"sku":"GOR012354447","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1911628143.jpg?v=1751631728"},{"product_id":"general-sir-ralph-abercromby-and-the-french-revolutionary-wars-1792-1801-book-carole-divall-9781526741462","title":"General Sir Ralph Abercromby and the French Revolutionary Wars 1792-1801","description":"The French Revolutionary Wars of 1793-1801 are less well known than the Napoleonic Wars that followed, but they represent a critical stage in the political and diplomatic history of Europe, and Sir Ralph Abercromby played a leading role in the British military campaigns that were part of them. Carole Divall in this absorbing and perceptive study throws new light onto Britain's position during the late eighteenth century, focusing on its military affairs and the expeditionary forces led by Abercromby during the conflict.  As tension between Britain and France grew after the convulsions of the French revolution, the British decided to wage an economic war by attacking French colonial possessions, and money and men were sent to campaign on the continent. Abercromby was the most notable British general to exercise command of these expeditions, and his actions and experiences are central to the narrative. He led British forces during the disastrous campaign in Flanders, achieved some success in St Lucia and Trinidad, failed at Den Helder and finally triumphed in Egypt where he lost his life in 1801.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50892952535313,"sku":"GOR014108809","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50894563868945,"sku":"GOR010320717","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1526741466.jpg?v=1751275353"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-carole-divall.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}