An exploration of the little-known yet historically important emigration of British army officers to the Australian colonies in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. The book looks at the significant impact they made at a time of great colonial expansion, particularly in new south Wales with its transition from a convict colony to a free society.

Autorentext
CHRISTINE WRIGHT lives in New South Wales, and is a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, Canberra, where she completed her PhD on the impact of Peninsular War veterans on the Australian colonies. She has lectured, tutored and published in the fields of British and Australian history.

Inhalt
Series Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction 'Emigration is a matter of necessity': the Aftermath of the Peninsular War 'They make Ancestry': Peninsular War Veterans as Officers and Gentlemen 'We are in sight of each other': the Social Networks of Veterans 'Attached to the Protestant succession': the Religious Influence of Veterans 'An art which owes its perfection to war': Skills of Veterans 'With all the authority of European despots': Veterans as Men of Authority and Magistrates 'In the midst of the Goths': the Artistic and Literary Legacy of Veterans 'To pave the way for the free settler': British Soldiers on the Frontier Conclusion Appendix 1: Database of influential British army officers in the Australian colonies who were veterans of the Peninsular War, and their cohort Appendix 2: Colonial careers of Peninsular War veterans, and their cohort Select Bibliography