Wellington's Charge: A portrait of the Duke's England

by Berwick Coates

"Reform Parliament," said the Duke - "tamper with the strongest and finest political system in Europe, the only one that had stood up to France - and you open the way to revolution and anarchy." The Duke of Wellington's charge was England: for 60 years, England was his cause, his love, his master, and his responsibility. He served his country with an unswerving devotion, as professional soldier, as cabinet minister, and as prime minister. In return he enjoyed a unique level of deference and respect from England's people, politicians, and royalty. Mention the 'Duke', and everyone knew who was being talked about. This instant recognition was a measure of his enormous stature. Wellington's Charge is both the story of the Duke's service to the nation form the 1780s, when first he joined the army, to 1851 when the Great Exhibition opened, shortly before he died; and the story of England during that dramatic period in England's history. The Duke was witness to great changes - many of which he deplored - revolution, industrialization, the reform of Parliament, the beginnings of the welfare state, concession in Ireland, and the rise of free trade - all of which are brought to life vividly in this illuminating and fresh approach to the man and his times. Wellington's Charge is a rich and colorful tapestry of the country the Iron Duke fought for so faithfully and loyally - a celebration of patriotism, duty, and public service.

Genres: Historical Fiction

330 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2004

About the author

Berwick Coates was educated at Kingston Grammar School and Christ`s College, Cambridge. Since then he has been, at various times, an Army officer, writer, artist, lecturer, careers adviser, games coach, and teacher of History, English, Latin, General Studies, and Swahili. He is the author of nine works of non-fiction, and lives in the West country where he works as a school archivist.

Reviews

[Sadie Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

For what it is, which is a rather broad history of the major events and changes England went through in the eighty two years of the Duke's life, this book does fairly well. It provides a reasonably good idea of the major challenges and struggles of the era domestically and internationally. The focus is mainly on politics, especially the various movements for change (parliamentary reform, corn laws, Irish issues). I would say it's a good starting point to know what was going on in England for most of the Duke's life.

Where this book struggles is in maintaining accuracy while summarizing events that have entire books dedicated to them. For instance, if you were only to go off Coates's summary of the Battles of Quatre Bras and Ligny, you might think Wellington retreated and Blucher followed, rather than the reverse. He also says Wellington spent the winter of 1812-1813 hibernating behind the Lines of Torres Vedras, which is incorrect (Wellington did winter in Portugal, but his headquarters was Freineda, which is much closer to the border).

The book also lacks proper references. While there is an extended suggested reading section, that does not help one ascertain where a certain piece of information comes from. For instance, at one point "an observer" makes a comment about Wellington's views on his social and political equals. I would love to know more about the context of that comment and follow up on it, but because it's not attributed to a person and there's no reference saying where it comes from, that is a far more difficult proposition than it would be in, say, Wellington: The Years of the Sword.

It's not a bad book, but it lacks some of the qualities I require to deem it a great book.