Gowing of the Royal Fusiliers: The Experiences of a Fusilier on Campaign During the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny and the Umballah Campaign 1853-72 Hardback - 2010

There was a time when Timothy Gowing's book about his campaigns with the 7th-The Royal Fusiliers-made him one of the most well known 'other ranks' authors in Victorian England. He not only wrote the work, but published and distributed it personally with some success. There are few books which recall the life of the ordinary infantryman in the Crimean War more literately and compellingly than his. Gowing's experiences of the latter part of the Indian Mutiny and during the Umballah Expedition to Afghanistan in 1863 also give useful insights into the Fusiliers at war on the sub-continent. When he faithfully recalls his own experiences-especially in the Crimea-he paints a startlingly clear picture of the campaigns, battles, trench warfare and bloody 'no quarter' skirmishes. He is also an important reference source for conditions on the field after the battle, in camp, and on the medical care of the wounded and diseased and the supply of clothing, equipment and rations to the men of the British Army during the Victorian period. Gowing's recollections are fascinatingly augmented here by the inclusion of his regular letters to his parents written as events unfolded around him. Gowing's book ran to several substantial and varied editions which not only included his own experiences but poetry, polemics, religious diatribe, and potted accounts of people and events that were outside his own experience. This unique edition of Gowing's writings has been substantially re-organised and edited by the Leonaur Editors to filter out extraneous material but retain every original and vital element of Gowing's personal experiences, making it, perhaps, the most accessible and definitive version of 'Gowing of the Royal Fusiliers' ever published. Recommended. Available in softcover and hardcover with dust jacket.