Book details

Scotland's reputation as a nation proud of its military history betrays the fact that the past is littered with catastrophes and failures. From the time of the Roman invasions until the Korean War, Scotland's military history is testament to the fact that victories are always talked up and recorded, but disasters are quietly forgotten. In all some 32 episodes of Scottish battlefield ineptitude are investigated by journalist Paul Cowan. These are: A Desolation Called Peace: Mons Graupius 83 or 84AD; Dance If You Can: Falkirk 1298, The Fool Killer: Faughart 1318; The Loser: Vermeuil 1424; Renaissance Man: Flodden 1513; Massacre in Norway: Kringen 1612; The Death March: Dunbar 1650; The Braw Lads: Namur 1695; The Auld Enemies: Culloden 1746; Death Prophesied: Ticonderoga 1758; Headless Horror: Fort du Querne 1758; No Tea Party: Boston 1776; King George and Broadswords: Moore's Creek 1776; Rocketmen: Pollilur 1780; The World Turned Upside Down: Cowpens 1781; The Will of Allah: El Hamet 1807; The Stonewall Highlanders: New Orleans 1815; Women and Children First: The Birkenhead 1852; Walpole's Folly: Ruiya 1858; Mountain Madness: Majuba 1881; Highland Humiliation: Magersfontein 1899; In Dublin's Fair City 1914; Infirmary Blues: Bedford 1914; A Signal Disaster: Gretna 1915; Blooding the Pups: Gully Ravine 1915; Courage is Not Enough: St Valery 1940; The Fighting French: Lebanon 1941; The Fleet of Foot: Hong Kong 1941; The Cossacks: Austria 1945; Malaysian Massacre: Batang Kali 1948; A Hill in Korea: Nantong River 1950.