Young Nelsons: Boy Sailors During the Napoleonic Wars, 1793-1815

"The fought like young Nelsons." The words of a schoolmaster, writing from aboard HMS Mars after the battle of Trafalgar, describing the valor of his pupils in the heat of battle. Made immortal by the novels of Patrick O'Brian, C. S. Forester and Alexander Kent, these boy sailors, alongside those of every other Royal Navy ship, had entered the British Navy to fight the French across every ocean of the world. There was a long-standing British tradition of children going to sea, of boys who volunteered to fight for Britain, and along the way found adventure, glory, wealth and fame. During the Napoleonic Wars, these children, some as young as eight or nine, were also fighting for the very survival of Britain. For twenty years, the image of young Nelsons on the frontline of war caught the imagination of the nation.

Drawing on many first-hand accounts, letters, poems and writings, this book tells the dramatic story of Britain's boy sailors during the Napoleonic Wars for the very first time.

Douglas Ronald studied at Edinburgh University where he gained a Master of Arts Honours Degree in History and French. During a 30-year career in merchant banking, Douglas lived overseas for many years - in Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and the United States. In 1984, he returned to the U.K. and founded his own boutique firm, a corporate finance consultancy based out of London and Oxford, specializing in cross-border mergers and acquisitions on behalf of major multinational corporations, and heritage tourism for the Government and the National Trust. Douglas is now a full-time writer.