Featured battle : St. Julien

Part of The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

Date : 01 March 1814

The French in attempting to drive the Austrians out of this area were defeated by a force only half their size. Action in this region also served to tie down troops who were needed for the defence of Paris.

Running the Gauntlet

Bernard Edwards
I really enjoyed this book, as gripping as a good novel, until it hit home how inappropriate is the word ‘enjoyed’. The men in this book are not fictional characters from some author’s imagination. This is the story of some of the brave men who did a very dangerous job many of whom died in the course of their work. Some were blown to pieces in an instant others died after many days adrift in an open boat or on a Carley float. The job those fellow merchant seamen who survived did, showing courage and skilled seamanship, was crucial to the nation’s survival.
This well researched book covers only a few of the losses to the merchant navy fleet but it is well representative of the service we should never forget.
Once started it is a difficult book to put down and we highly recommend it.

Pen & Sword Maritime, 2022