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The Autobiography of Sergeant William Lawrence

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First published: 1886
Pages: 111

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About this book

Boots, food and a place among familiar comrades matter as much as battlefield events in William Lawrence's account of army life. He begins with his childhood in Dorset, where a large family and little schooling pushed him into paid farm work, followed by a builder's apprenticeship. The contents trace his service through the River Plate expedition, the Peninsular campaigns and Waterloo, placing an ordinary soldier within the wider course of the wars.

Edited by George Nugent Bankes, the narrative was first dictated, and the preface explains the effort to preserve Lawrence's own language. A passage from winter quarters in Portugal follows his recovery from a leg injury and promotion to corporal, an increase in pay that also separates him from old companions. His practical concerns and the editor's cautions about camp gossip make this useful reading for anyone interested in how military service was remembered from the ranks.