Victoria S Wars

Offers a revised and updated history of thirteen of the most significant British conflicts during the Victorian period.

In the early part of Queen Victoria�s reign, the British Empire almost quintupled in size. It was well on the way to becoming the greatest empire the world had ever seen. This is the story of how it happened and the people who made it happen. In a fast-moving narrative that ranges from London to the harsh terrain of India, Russia and the Far East, Saul David shows how Britain ruthlessly exploited her position as the world�s only superpower to expand her empire. Yet little of this territorial acquisition was planned or sanctioned by the home government. Instead it was largely the work of the men on the ground, and to those at home it really did seem that the empire was acquired in a �fit of absence of mind�. Saul David creates a vivid portrait of life on the violent fringes of empire, and of the seemingly endless and brutal wars that were fought in the name of trade, civilization and the balance of power.

From 1837 to 1901, in Asia, China, Canada, Africa, and elsewhere, military expedition were constantly being undertaken to protect resident Britons or British interests, to extend a frontier, to repel an attack, avenge an insult, or suppress a mutiny or rebellion. Continuous warfare became an accepted way of life in the Victorian era, and in the process the size of the British Empire quadrupled.But engrossing as these small wars are--and they bristle with bizarre, tragic, and often humorous incident--it is the officers and men who fought them that dominate this book. With their courage, foolhardiness, and eccentricities, they are an unforgettable lot.

"Victoria's War is a work of historical fiction about 19-year-old Victoria Darski, a Polish Catholic woman sold into slavery during the Nazi occupation of Europe, and Etta Tod, the 20-year-old deaf daughter of a German baker who buys Victoria. Poland, 1939: Eager to study literature at the University of Warsaw, Victoria waits with bags packed. But Hitler invades Poland and classes are canceled. German officers burst into her family's home in Lagody, shoot and kill Victoria's sister when she cries, and take Victoria and her mother to work in a sewing factory commandeered by Nazis. Making military shirts, Victoria sews a straight pin inside the collar in defiance. At a secret resistance meeting with her friend Sylvia, Victoria is captured and sold as a slave, with thousands of other women. Germany, 1941: When Victoria is purchased to work in a family bakery, Etta tries to protect Victoria from the brutality of her family, bringing food and companionship to the attic where Victoria is held. Etta is caught and sent to Hadamar Institute, where she is killed. This spurs Victoria to help rescue a group of mothers and babies from starvation. One of those women is her friend Sylvia from the sewing factory. Victoria's War is a World War II story that has not been told before, giving a voice to the Polish women who were kidnapped into the Nazi slave labor operation. This lost chapter of history revealing wartime slavery is not to be forgotten."--

Victoria became a sister to Gloria under very peculiar circumstances, what’s more, her relationship with her sister took both of them on various travels both real and imagined, especially after Gloria gave birth to Ethan. Victoria’s powers assigned to her by tutors in Burma eventually took its toll on their relationship.

This selection of campaign photographs shows the Victorian army in a variety of climes and conditions over 50 years from Burma in 1852 to Tibet in 1904. It also records the vital yet often neglected role played by the army in the great Victorian imperial adventure. About the author Ian Beckett, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, is Major General Matthew C. Horner Professor of Military Theory at the US Marine Corps University, Quantico, Virginia, USA. Other titles for Shire by this author are: Buckinghamshire Discovering British Regimental Traditions Discovering English County Regiments