All for a Shilling a Day: The Story of H. M. 16th, the Queen's Lancers, During the First Sikh War 1845 - 1846

by Donald F. Featherstone

All for a Shilling a Day The account of a famous regiment at war One of the many legacies of the Napoleonic age was the lancer. The Polish Lancers of the French Army made such an impression that at the end of the Napoleonic Wars lancer regiments became part of the British Army by converting Light Dragoon regiments. Many would go on to illustrious encounters at battles such as Balaclava and Omdurman. This book gives an account of one of these regiments, the 16th-at the time of the action described in these pages the only lancer regiment still to wear scarlet jackets-from the recruitment and training of the soldiers in the early 1840s. Far from Britain, the Empire was dominating the Indian Sub-Continent and was about to clash with the formidable kingdom of the Sikhs in the Punjab. It is the journey to this fateful conflict-the First Sikh War-to which Donald Featherstone devotes his narrative. We join the 16th on campaign with Paddy Gough's army on the banks of the Sutlej; there, under the brilliant generalship of Sir Harry Smith, they meet their destiny at the battle of Aliwal.

236 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2007

About the author

Featherstone (who sometimes used his middle initial and sometimes didn't) served in the Royal Armoured Corps in World War II before becoming a physiotherapist. He worked for Southampton Football Club and Hampshire County Cricket Club, writing books on sporting, dancing, and industrial injuries.

Later, he turned his attention to his childhood hobby of toy soldiers, writing dozens of books on the subject and becoming instrumental in the development of wargaming as a pasttime. He also wrote books on military history.