By Robert Burnham & Gareth Glover

Machell, Lancelot. The Peninsular War Letters of Lancelot Machell RE. Mark S. Thompson (ed.). Published by Mark S. Thompson, 2017. 132 pages

Notes: These are the letters of a young engineer officer describing his training and early experiences. They cover a period from 1809 until his death at the siege of San Sebastian in 1813. Whilst Lancelot’s active campaigning in the Peninsula lasted only several months, he does shed interesting light on the first real campaign in which the Royal Sappers and Miners operated as discrete units. His letters concerning the work to train the Royal Military Artificers at Plymouth form a fascinating insight into the formation of the School of Military Engineering.