The Flashman Papers: The Complete 12-Book Collection. George Fraser MacDonald

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СКАЧАТЬ of two men who wrapped the battalion colours round their bodies (the other man was killed). The picture to which Flashman refers is by W. B. Wollen, R.A., hung at the Royal Academy in 1898. 21. Flashman may be excused an overstatement here. Possibly Sergeant Hudson was a fine swordsman, but this was not usual in the British cavalry; Fortescue in his passage on the Charge of the Heavy Brigade at Balaclava refers to the troopers’ habit of using their sabres as bludgeons. It was not uncommon for a man to use his sabre-hilt as a knuckle-duster instead of cutting or thrusting. 22. Major Henry Havelock. Later famous as the hero of Lucknow, the “stern Cromwellian soldier” became one of the great figures of the Indian Empire. 23. Sale was indeed hailed as a celebrity, but returned to India and was killed at Mudki in 1845, fighting the Sikhs. Shelton’s adventurous career ended when he fell from his horse on parade at Dublin and was killed. Lawrence and Mackenzie both achieved general rank. 24. Flashman saw Ellenborough at his worst. Arrogant, theatrical, and given to flights of rhetoric, the Governor-General went to extravagant lengths to honour the “heroes of Afghanistan”, and was widely ridiculed. But in the main he was an able and energetic administrator. 25. Punch began publication in 1841; the “Pencillings” were its first full-page cartoons. 26. The “Opium War” in China had ended with a treaty whereby Hong Kong was ceded to Britain. 27. The Duke’s reference to the Queen’s impending visit to Walmer Castle fixes the date of Flashman’s appearance at Buckingham Palace very closely. Wellington wrote to Sir Robert Peel on October 26, 1842, assuring him that Walmer was at the Queen’s disposal, and she visited it in the following month. 28. Macaulay’s Lays of Ancient Rome was first published on October 28, 1842. 29. The Queen’s Medal. That Her Majesty was piqued at Lord Ellenborough’s decision to issue medals is evident from her letter to Peel on November 29, 1842. 30. Dr Thomas Arnold, father of Matthew Arnold and headmaster of Rugby School, had died on June 12, 1842, aged 47.

      

       ROYAL FLASH

      From The Flashman Papers, 1842–43 and 1847–48

      Edited and Arranged by

      GEORGE MACDONALD FRASER

Copyright

      This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

      HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      First published in Great Britain by Barrie & Jenkins Ltd 1970

      Copyright © George MacDonald Fraser 1970

      George MacDonald Fraser asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

      A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

      HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.

      Source ISBN: 9780006511267

      Ebook Edition © DECEMBER 2011 ISBN: 9780007449507

      Version: 2017-11-06

Dedication

      For Kath, again, and for

      Ronald Coleman,

      Douglas Fairbanks, jun.,

      Errol Flynn,

      Basil Rathbone,

      Louis Hayward,

      Tyrone Power,

      and all the rest of them

      Contents

       Cover

       Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Explanatory Note

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