Molly's Lieutenant Innes

[anteros_lmc]

Earlier this summer while reading Michael Lewis’ Napoleon and his British Captives I was reminded of the lovely piece of detective work that joyful_molly did last year when she tracked down Lieutenant Thomas Innes whose snuff box appeared on the Antiques Roadshow. The pedigree of the snuff box is impressive, it was presented by French Admiral Compte de Grasse

Comments

[eglantine_br]

Huzzah. I love the real life stuff! My respect for the women of that time was already high. But it has climbed even more.

I thin that sometimes poor historians give the idea that women, as a whole got brains and courage sometime about the time that we started wearing pants! (Trousers, i mean, not undies.)

Such love, to go to join a man in prison, not really knowing what the future would be. Mr Breton and Mr Innes obviously had wives who were equal to them in gutsy determination.

As or the women who went to the hulks-- it reminds me of the scene in Titanic, (and it is a true scene, it really happened,) of the old women who lay down with her man, and let the water have them both rather than leave him.

Only, only this is better, because they got loose and lived, and took snuff, and wrote books!

And I can't think about the Titanic couple or I really will cry.

Sorry, I seem to be rambling here.

Tell me about the Garneray book. Wonder if I can get it on Kindle?

I recently downloaded and read the one about the guy who was arrested for the chamberpot caper. Delightful. You know who it made me think of, of course. Brave boy.

[anteros_lmc]

Yes, yes, yes and yes. These women had to be phenomenally brave.

Tell me about the Garneray book. Wonder if I can get it on Kindle?
Don't even try. It's a very, very frustrating read. More on that tomorrow hopefully.

I recently downloaded and read the one about the guy who was arrested for the chamberpot caper. Delightful.
Yay! Edward Boys! Isn't he inspirational?! What a brave and principalled boy.

You know who it made me think of, of course. Brave boy.
Course I do. And at long last I have got him to talk to H about France. Expect more POW fic shortly.

Apologies for rushed and incoherent response, but wanted to reply before I turn in. More tomorrow.

[anteros_lmc]

Morning sweetie! You asked about Garneray, hopefully I'll get round to writing a proper review sometime but briefly, he makes for very, very frustrating reading. Despite passing off his account of years spent on the Portsmouth prison hulks as factual autobiography it's now known to be mostly fiction. In fact I'd say it's 40% fiction, 40% propaganda and 20% plagiarism. Garneray did spend time on at least one hulk but there is no record of him being present on two of the other hulks he mentions. Many of the incidents he records are plagiarised from other verifiable sources so these at least do paint a picture with some accuracy. However other incidents are either entirely fictionalised or did not take place in Britain at all. Many of his characters are invented and those that were real have become little more than caricatures. Worst of all though his writing style is woefully bathetic and over melodramatic. I don't know, maybe I've just spent too long reading the plain unembroidered POW accounts of men like Boys, O'Brien and Jackson.

Having said all that, you do actually get some sense of what life was like on the hulks and some fo the passages copied from other authors have been verified. Also the translation is very good and the book is accompanied by copious and detailed historical notes and references. In fact it's almost worth reading for the notes alone!