The manner of their meeting was unprecedented...

During the lawless mayhem that followed the capture of Badajoz by Wellington, a 14 year old Spanish girl sought the protection of Captain Harry Smith. They fell in love and married shortly after. From then on their lives and careers were inextricably linked and Juana not only followed her able, brave and ambitious husband but built her own formidable reputation.

The book describes their lives together starting with the remaining battles of the Peninsula War. Harry Smith was already a favourite of Wellington, who insisted most unusually on giving away Juana in marriage. His card was marked and his career prospered. He distinguished himself in numerous campaigns and theatres. Most particularly he was credited with the victory at Aliwali in India.

It will however be the couple's achievements and legacy in South Africa that they are best associated with, after the exceptional circumstances of their first meeting. Travellers to Natal are reminded of this by the towns of Ladysmith and Harrysmith. The outlines of their lives are known to many, but the details in this carefully researched book will come as a revelation.

At all costs avoid blame...

Such is the creed of dictators and politicians, tycoons and company chairmen, media celebrities and spin doctors the world over. But what about men at war, where the penalties for errors of judgement can be devastating? History is full of tales of those who have been wrongly castigated in the rush to find a culprit; only later, sometimes much later, when the real truth comes out, is the scapegoat exonerated.

Exposed here are the real stories behind the myths that allow the reader to make a balanced judgment on history's fairness to the individual. From Admiral Byng, executed for failing to do his utmost in 1757, to General Elazar, held responsible for Israel's lack of preparation at the start of the Yom Kippur War and General Dallaire, let down by the United Nations over the Rwanda massacres of 1994, these portraits of individuals unjustly accused span continents and centuries. The book begins with an introduction, defining the scapegoat and examining the conditions needed to qualify. This superbly researched book by a former professional soldier uncovers what might be termed the most disgraceful miscarriages of military justice.