An American general in Wellington's army? At the age of fourteen, Frederick Robinson fought for the Loyalists in the War of Independence. With their defeat, his now impoverished family took refuge in England. After serving against the French in the West Indies, he worked in army recruitment in London. In 1813 he joined the Peninsular campaign as a Brigade Major General. His journals and letters shed light on the local topography and the personalities he encounters - the British grandees of Oporto, landed gentry, priests and peasants, Wellington and his generals and the common soldier. He also describes the marches across country and the battles of Vitoria, San Sebastian, the Nime and Toulouse. Subsequently, he commanded a division in America during the War of 1812. After colonial governorships in Upper Canada and Tobago, he continued to contribute as a Regimental Colonel. At his death in 1852, he was the longest-serving soldier in the British Army.

Before the First World War Stratford was an idyllic market town, where most townsfolk lived in the same alleys and tenements their ancestors had occupied for centuries. It was against this background that the drift to war occurred - and the outside world started to influence this sleepy town in a way it had never done before. In his new book local author Nick Fogg interweaves diaries, letters, newspaper accounts and oral testimony to create a rich and varied picture of Stratford and its people during the two world wars, showing us clearly how ordinary men and women reacted to the challenge of war. As well as describing life on the Home Front, the author also includes memories of those who served in the armed forces, at home and overseas: for example, the Stratfordians Edgar Cranmer - who was the telegraphist who received the German offer of an armistice, and Bruce Organ - who helped to organise the theatricals that disguised the Great Escape. A wide range of illustrations, many of them previously unpublished, complement the text. This fascinating account by Stratford's foremost historian will appeal to anyone interested in the history of the town, residents and visitors alike.