Terry Crowdy takes us through his talk at London's National Army Museum's Book Festival.

 

'This September the National Army Museum is hosting its inaugural Book Festival. A bevy of ‘military history heavyweights’ will be discussing a great range of topics over the two day event (Sat 8 – Sun 9 September). With my book Incomparable due for release the following week, I was excited to be invited to speak at the festival on Saturday 8th.

There was one small snag. When I asked what the theme of the festival was, I was told 'the British Army'. An excellent subject of course, only my latest book is about Napoleon's 9th Light Infantry Regiment!

Some quick thinking later, I came up with a solution which I felt justifies my inclusion in the line up. A large part of my book covers the Peninsular War of 1808-1814, in which the Incomparable 9th traded blows with Wellington's Army on numerous times. In comparison with the mutual hatred between French and Spanish combatants, many of Napoleon’s soldiers had a professional respect for Wellington's men. Before meeting the British, the soldiers of the 9th had fought, and beaten the armies of Austria, Prussia and Russia, so how did the redcoats compare?

The subject of my talk will therefore be an opinion of Wellington's Army from the enemy camp. Using first hand testimony of the men who appear in my book, I believe this will provide a fascinating and entertaining perspective on the war in Spain. There should also be the opportunity to get an early, signed copy of the book!

Follow Incomparable on Facebook or Twitter (@9th_light) for more updates.'

Catch Terry's talk on Saturday 8th at the National Army Museum.  There will be exclusive book signings, Q&As, plus the opportunity for visitors to talk with speakers and war veterans to discover the background stories and experiences which inspired their fascinating books.

Speakers will be covering a diverse range of subjects from across the entire sweep of military history, including Bletchley Park, the Napoleonic Wars, the Spanish Civil War, the World Wars and modern-day Afghanistan.

The Book Festival's speakers include (subject to change):

Saturday

Terry Crowdy - Napoleonic Wars
Col. Stuart Tootal – Afghanistan
Col. Tim Collins – Modern conflicts
Peter Caddick-Adams - Second World War
Sinclair McKay and Michael Smith – Bletchley Park/ Spies
Brian Lett - SOE’s Operation POSTMASTER
Mark Urban - Special Forces in Iraq
Fergal Keane- The World Wars
Janina Struk - War photography

Sunday

Sir Rodric Braithwaite – Soviet War in Afghanistan
Patrick Hennessey – Modern-day Afghan
Julian Putkowski – First World War
Richard Baxell and David Loman - Spanish Civil War
Patrick Bishop and Tony Iveson - Bombing of Tirpitz (Second World War)
John Simpson – Conflicts and correspondence
Gareth Glover- Napoleonic Wars
Richard van Emden- First World War