All for a King's Shilling

All for a King's Shilling
Author: William Atlay
Publisher: Melrose Press
Total Pages: 546
Release: 2005
Genre:
ISBN: 190522625X

This gripping debut is a captivating tale of deceit and retribution that will give the reader a thrilling insight into military life during this terrifying and uncertain age.

All for the King's Shilling

All for the King's Shilling
Author: Edward J. Coss
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
Total Pages: 477
Release: 2013-11-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 0806146168

The British troops who fought so successfully under the Duke of Wellington during his Peninsular Campaign against Napoleon have long been branded by the duke’s own words—“scum of the earth”—and assumed to have been society’s ne’er-do-wells or criminals who enlisted to escape justice. Now Edward J. Coss shows to the contrary that most of these redcoats were respectable laborers and tradesmen and that it was mainly their working-class status that prompted the duke’s derision. Driven into the army by unemployment in the wake of Britain’s industrial revolution, they confronted wartime hardship with ethical values and became formidable soldiers in the bargain These men depended on the king’s shilling for survival, yet pay was erratic and provisions were scant. Fed worse even than sixteenth-century Spanish galley slaves, they often marched for days without adequate food; and if during the campaign they did steal from Portuguese and Spanish civilians, the theft was attributable not to any criminal leanings but to hunger and the paltry rations provided by the army. Coss draws on a comprehensive database on British soldiers as well as first-person accounts of Peninsular War participants to offer a better understanding of their backgrounds and daily lives. He describes how these neglected and abused soldiers came to rely increasingly on the emotional and physical support of comrades and developed their own moral and behavioral code. Their cohesiveness, Coss argues, was a major factor in their legendary triumphs over Napoleon’s battle-hardened troops. The first work to closely examine the social composition of Wellington’s rank and file through the lens of military psychology, All for the King’s Shilling transcends the Napoleonic battlefield to help explain the motivation and behavior of all soldiers under the stress of combat.

All for the King's Shilling

All for the King's Shilling
Author: Edward J Coss
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2012-10-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 0806185457

The British troops who fought so successfully under the Duke of Wellington during his Peninsular Campaign against Napoleon have long been branded by the duke’s own words—“scum of the earth”—and assumed to have been society’s ne’er-do-wells or criminals who enlisted to escape justice. Now Edward J. Coss shows to the contrary that most of these redcoats were respectable laborers and tradesmen and that it was mainly their working-class status that prompted the duke’s derision. Driven into the army by unemployment in the wake of Britain’s industrial revolution, they confronted wartime hardship with ethical values and became formidable soldiers in the bargain These men depended on the king’s shilling for survival, yet pay was erratic and provisions were scant. Fed worse even than sixteenth-century Spanish galley slaves, they often marched for days without adequate food; and if during the campaign they did steal from Portuguese and Spanish civilians, the theft was attributable not to any criminal leanings but to hunger and the paltry rations provided by the army. Coss draws on a comprehensive database on British soldiers as well as first-person accounts of Peninsular War participants to offer a better understanding of their backgrounds and daily lives. He describes how these neglected and abused soldiers came to rely increasingly on the emotional and physical support of comrades and developed their own moral and behavioral code. Their cohesiveness, Coss argues, was a major factor in their legendary triumphs over Napoleon’s battle-hardened troops. The first work to closely examine the social composition of Wellington’s rank and file through the lens of military psychology, All for the King’s Shilling transcends the Napoleonic battlefield to help explain the motivation and behavior of all soldiers under the stress of combat.

Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling

Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling
Author: Tony Cliff
Publisher: First Second
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2016-03-08
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1626726906

Globetrotting troublemaker Delilah Dirk and her loyal friend Selim are just minding their own business, peacefully raiding castles and traipsing across enemy lines, when they attract the unwanted attention of the English Army. Before they know it, Delilah and Selim have gotten themselves accused of espionage against the British crown! Delilah will do whatever it takes to clear her good name, be it sneaking, skirmishing, or even sword fighting... But can she bring herself to wear a pretty dress and have a nice cup of tea with her mother? Delilah Dirk may be defeated at last. By tulle...in Tony Cliff's Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling.

The Combat Soldier

The Combat Soldier
Author: Anthony King
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 553
Release: 2013-02-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 0199658846

A work of historical, comparative sociology examining the evolution of infantry tactics in the American, Australian Canadian, British, French, German, and Italian armies from the First World War to the present. It addresses a key question in the social sciences of how social solidarity (cohesion) is generated and sustained.

The King's Shilling and Stalag V111B

The King's Shilling and Stalag V111B
Author: Anthony G. Parnell.
Publisher: FriesenPress
Total Pages: 206
Release: 2017-10-24
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1525514385

Born in London, England in 1922, Anthony Parnell's interest in aeroplanes took hold of his imagination at an early age. He became a plane spotter with his friend at Croydon Aerodrome. As his love grew, his dream was that one day he would fly. Becoming a pilot in the RAF fulfilled that dream. On March 28, 1942 leaving at dawn on a Top Secret Mission, Anthony's flight came to an abrupt end when he made an emergency landing with his crippled plane on a beach he believed was on the English coast. He and his crew were taken prisoner and thus began his WWII experience as a Prisoner Of War in Stalag V111B. This book tells the story of Anthony's experience during that suspenseful and hopeless time, including his attempts at escape and the 1,000 kilometres walk across Europe in winter conditions that would later become known as The Death March. Per Ardua ad Astra - Through Adversity to the Stars - that is the RAF Motto, and the motto that Anthony Parnell would attempt to follow in his struggle for survival.

The British Army, 1783–1815

The British Army, 1783–1815
Author: Kevin Linch
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2024-04-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1526738023

The British army between 1783 and 1815 – the army that fought in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars – has received severe criticism and sometimes exaggerated praise from contemporaries and historians alike, and a balanced and perceptive reassessment of it as an institution and a fighting force is overdue. That is why this carefully considered new study by Kevin Linch is of such value. He brings together fresh perspectives on the army in one of its most tumultuous – and famous – eras, exploring the global range of its deployment, the varieties of soldiering it had to undertake, its close ties to the political and social situation of the time, and its complex relationship with British society and culture. In the face of huge demands on its manpower and direct military threats to the British Isles and territories across the globe, the army had to adapt. As Kevin Linch demonstrates, some changes were significant while others were, in the end, minor or temporary. In the process he challenges the ‘Road to Waterloo’ narrative of the army’s steady progress from the nadir of the 1780s and early 1790s, to its strong performances throughout the Peninsular War and its triumph at the Battle of Waterloo. His reassessment shows an army that was just good enough to cope with the demanding campaigns it undertook.

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant
Author: Tony Cliff
Publisher: First Second
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2016-03-08
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1626726965

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Lovable ne'er-do-well Delilah Dirk is an adventurer for the 19th century. She has traveled to Japan, Indonesia, France, and even the New World. Using the skills she's picked up on the way, Delilah's adventures continue as she plots to rob a rich and corrupt Sultan in Constantinople. With the aid of her flying boat and her newfound friend, Selim, she evades the Sultan's guards, leaves angry pirates in the dust, and fights her way through the countryside. For Delilah, one adventure leads to the next in this thrilling and funny installment in her exciting life. Tony Cliff's Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant is a great pick for any reader looking for a smart and foolhardy heroine...and globetrotting adventures. A Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of 2013 A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2013

Redcoat

Redcoat
Author: Richard Holmes
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 542
Release: 2002
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780393052114

Based on the letters and diaries of the British soldiers who served as the backbone of the army from 1760 to 1860, this illuminating book is rich in the history of a fascinating era. of illustrations.