A wonderful find...

...and unexpected... 😏

My youngest is currently researching which university she wishes to attend once she finishes A levels, and last Friday was the open day at the University of Reading, one of the universities on her list...

While she attended lectures in the faculties she is interested in studying in, I made myself scarce, and being a university, and me being a wargamer with an interest in military history, the library was a bit if a magnet!

University libraries tend to have more depth in their reading choices than the usual public libraries so I was keen to see what choices there were in the military history line...  Started off in section 355 (Military Science - that catalogue number, and section 793/794 is permanently etched on my brain since childhood 😁) and picked up "The Armies of Queen Anne", by R. E. Scouller (Major.) Written in 1964, it covers all aspects of the British army of the time, what the official sizes of units should be, the disparity between that and actual returns, all supporting services (medical/commissariat/administration), uniforms (cost and how often replaced), command structure, etc etc. Whiled away a very pleasant hour while little'un was checking out the animal skeletons in the Zoology section!

Broke for some refreshments, and then she went off to do a tour of the Biology faculty, so I heded back,and this time I hit the goldmine...  the library has a full set of bound copies of the Illustrated London News! Huge books, and covered in dust - they clearly don't get looked at often! Only having an hour I had to decide fast, so dismissed Omdurman (later visit hopefully) and picked up the volume covering Abu Klea and the Gordon Relief... oh man, superb - have left the following as original size, you can click and embiggen to read the articles/get a better view..

How atmospheric is this? The artist has included himself (the dark coated figure in foreground on the right)

Victoriana at it's absolute finest..

Love this next one.. quintessential Caton Woodville

...this next one bears study... the Relief Expedition on the march..

...front page announcing the death of Burnaby..

Front page February 7th announced the death of Herbert..

Have a look at what the fatigue party of the Highlanders were wearing..

...the picture provision seemed to have been shared fairly equally between Caton Woodville [clicky] and their 'special correspondent' Melton Prior [clicky] the following are all by Prior, I do like his style..

I like this one too..

.....better than the BBC and CNN I think you'd agree?