#HWFBlogHop Interview my Character - Paul van Daan

An Interview with Paul van Daan

I've been eagerly waiting for my turn to come around to publish today's post. As part of the Historical Writers' Forum 'Interview My character' Blog Hop, I take great pleasure today in interviewing Colonel Paul van Daan, commander of a division of the 110th Light Infantry during the Napoleonic Wars. Paul features in Lynn Bryant's Peninsular War Saga and he really is a man of many moments!

My first knowledge of Paul is from reading An Unconventional Officer, # 1 of the series, and you can read my comments on it at the end of this post. I'm currently reading #2, and since I also have a copy of #5 on my kindle (bought first and then set aside to begin reading the series from the beginning) I'm not going to miss out on Books 3 and 4 - because I always feel the need to read a series in chronological order.

But before I begin the interview, here's a…

*Special Offer*
Lynn Bryant offers an ebook copy of An Unconventional Officer #FREE today and tomorrow 
(26th and 27th July 2019) from Amazon  

My apologies for keeping you waiting, Paul. Please settle in and get comfortable. Help yourself to a wee whisky to sip since I have quite a lot of questions for you.

You've risen through the army ranks with surprising speed and efficiency, Paul. If Wellington listed your best attributes, for example to encourage the aspirations of relatively new officers, which aspects do you think he would select?

(I'm adding an image of Wellington here but would actually much rather I had one of you, Paul. Maybe next time you visit?)

Sir Arthur Wellesley
1st Duke of Wellington

Hahahahahaha. Sorry, I’m just trying to imagine Wellington using me as an example for new officers. He’s more likely to hold me up as a warning to others.

If I were being cynical, I’d say that my ability to pay for my commissions would be high on the list of his favourite attributes. But it is more than that. Wellington likes officers who take the job seriously. I work hard with my men, I make sure they’re as well trained as they can possibly be and I don’t let my junior officers shirk off. I think I’m better at delegating than Wellington is, but I still make sure I know exactly how my brigade is being run and I never let a problem go. I think that’s what he’d point to as an example.

Yes, you are quite experienced now, having been in the army for a good number of years. Can you see yourself – and your wife Anne – settling down to civilian life in the near future? Back in London, or perhaps at your family estates in Leicestershire?

I dream of it. I think we all do. Sometimes it’s what keeps me going. But in the near future – that depends on Bonaparte and how this war goes. I’ll be here to the end, that’s for sure. Afterwards, I don’t know. We married out here, neither of us has been home since. We don’t even have a house in England, although we have the villa in Lisbon, which is the closest we have to a home.

Yes. I think the answer is yes. I want to go home, and buy a house and raise my family and not jump every time I hear that bugle. Whether that means leaving the army, I honestly don’t know. Living in a country at war is exhausting for all of us. I’d probably choose Leicestershire, somewhere close to where I grew up. Nan might prefer Yorkshire. I can’t see us sharing a home with my family; my sister-in-law wouldn’t cope with Nan. We’ll decide when the time comes.

I’ve missed so much of my children’s growing up. I’d like to be there when Will or Georgiana learns to ride their first pony. I hope I can be.

That sounds ideal. You have the reputation of being afraid of nothing but what would you say truly is your greatest fear?

Reputation is a funny thing. Half the stories they tell probably never happened, and if they did, they happened in a different way. I am afraid and if there’s a man who says he’s never afraid in a battle, I’m calling him a liar. It’s how you manage the fear that matters.

And there’s different kinds of fear. My worst fear, ever, is that something will happen to my wife or my children. That’s a fear that all men understand. The ones who care, anyway.

Then there’s fear in battle. I’m more afraid when I don’t know what’s going on. I’m lucky, I often know more than most, Wellington talks to me. I’m afraid when I don’t trust my commanding officer and thank God that seldom happens. I’ve served under Wellington, Black Bob Craufurd and Charles Alten and they’re the best.

In terms of battles, I hate storming a citadel. It’s unpredictable, so many things can go wrong, and you can’t assess the field in the same way as an open battle. A lot of men tend to die in siege warfare and it’s hard to predict what will happen. It was going well for us at Badajoz until some of my less experienced troops attacked too far over and hit a mine. I hate storming a town and I hate what often happens afterwards.

Battle of Badajoz

Some decisions taken by superior officers don’t always seem to be the correct ones at the time. You’ve been through many bloody confrontations with the enemy already during your military career, and have been known to take some slight detours from the orders issued to your men in order to ensure they survived the battlefield but, in your opinion, what has been the worst, most insane, order you have been given by a superior officer?

So far? Sir William Erskine. Every single bloody time, the man was a menace. Wellington had me nursemaiding him during Massena’s retreat in 1811. He was in command of the Light Division, before we were officially part of it, but he wasn’t capable of commanding a church picnic.

The first time was at Casal Novo. He sent troops out into thick fog, without being able to see and without reconnoitring the enemy positions. I wasn’t there when he gave the order or I’d have countermanded it. We lost men, in particular a young officer I liked very much.

Less than a month later, Erskine did virtually the same thing again at Sabugal, sent the first brigade out into the fog without any support. It ruined Wellington’s battle plan and it got a lot of men killed. And that, in case you’re wondering, was one of the occasions when I ignored a direct order from a senior officer and went in after them without orders. Wellington supported me, as it happens, but I’d have done it anyway.

Yes, and you seem to have a knack for easily engaging the support of your subordinates, Paul. What is it that you do which makes your men loyal to the death in support of you and your command?

I treat them like human beings. I don’t flog them and I don’t pamper them either. They’re men, not cattle. Not numbers in the regimental ledger.

I like to know them. In my position, you can’t be friends with them. Not mostly, anyway. But a laugh and a joke goes a long way. They know that I care about them, not just that they fight well, but that they’re fed and warm and dry when possible. They know I’m proud of them. And they know I trust them, just as they trust me.

It’s my job, and the job of every single one of my officers to take care of the men. In one or two other regiments, it’s not unknown for an officer to be more worried about a bayonet in the back than a bullet from the front. That doesn’t happen in the 110^th.

My men know that I’d die for them. For the most part, they’d die for me. That’s not magic, it’s just being a good soldier.

You’ve an indomitable spirit, and you’re resilient in the face of extreme situations. Can you imagine any circumstances at all that would destroy your natural fortitude?

Yes. Losing my wife. I almost did.

Sorry. It’s less than a year, and I’m not over it. Not sure I ever will be. She was taken by the French; a colonel I’d run into at Fuentes de Onoro. I thought he’d kill her. I thought I’d lost her.

I didn’t cope. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t think straight. I spent my time trying to imagine what it would be like if I never saw her again, and I just couldn’t. I just couldn’t.

What would be the absolute best thing that could happen to you before the present year ends?

Napoleon Bonaparte

Bonaparte contracts a bad cold and dies of inflammation of the lung. Or falls off his horse and breaks his neck, I’m not that fussy. As long as we can go home.

Other than that? My wife just gave me a daughter, I’m not sure I can come up with anything better than that, but I’ll happily settle for a long time in winter quarters and a visit from my older children, with time to enjoy them. And then a successful campaigning season, with my friends all in one piece at the end of it.

Who do you think is presently the biggest threat to your peace of mind regarding your military career, and to the personal incidents that have occurred during your time with the 110th Light Infantry?

Well I’d have to put the French at the top of the list. Other than that, nobody that I’m aware of now. There have been a few issues in the past. I haven’t always seen eye to eye with the army hierarchy but it’s got easier as I’ve moved up the ranks. Picton’s not that fond of me, but I think he’s got used to me. Sir William Erskine was probably the worst, but I’m told he’s recently retired with health problems.

I’m sure you’ve heard that I was court-martialled back in ’07 during the Copenhagen campaign. That wasn’t the choice of the army commander, though, I fell foul of the Royal Navy. I think I learned a lot from that and I made a good friend in Captain Kelly that day, so I’m a bit kinder about the navy these days.

I’ve a temper, no question about it, but I’ve got better at controlling it as I’ve got older. Mostly.

Err...some of the men on the end your tongue lashing might not be too sure of that, Paul! Here's a question for them as much as me. Do you prefer to be with your men right at the forefront of battle, or to be used in a defensive role, as during the command of maintaining hold of the strategic location of Madrid?

I am terrible at being left in a defensive role anywhere. Really, I get bored and spend my time coming up with new drills and training strategies and I drive them all mad. My second-in-command, Colonel Wheeler says he’d rather face Bonaparte and the Imperial Guard than be stuck with me if we’re left in reserve. So yes, if there’s a fight, I want to be in it.

Battle of Salamanca

Back to domestic matters again, what is it that you admire most about your very capable wife Anne?

Oh, how do I begin to answer that? You mean admire, rather than love, though. There’s a lot that’s admirable about Nan, but I think if I had to pick one thing it would be her resilience. She’s been through so much over the past years, more than most people could bear. But she never lets it drag her down.

She’s amazingly positive, my wife. She’s always looking forward, thinking ahead. There isn’t a problem out there that she won’t at least make a push to find a solution to. And she’s a far better diplomat than I am. Except when she’s writing rude letters to the medical board. They hate her at the army medical board, with a deep and abiding passion.

What are the greatest hardships suffered by men – like you – whose career takes them far from hearth and home?

For most men, I imagine it’s being apart from their wives and families. A lot don’t marry. I think it was Moore who said that in his opinion, officers shouldn’t marry. But many do, and most don’t see their wives for years. I miss the children, but both Rowena and Nan have given up a lot to travel with me. I’ve been so lucky.

Life in the army is physically difficult, and it’s a lot worse for the men than for the officers. Dreadful living conditions, bad food, poorly paid and a very good chance of being killed or wounded. Or dying of some camp fever. We lost thousands in places like Alexandria and Walcheren, from disease. It’s a very hard life.

What do you see yourself doing in five years’ time from now?

Honestly. I’ll probably still be in the army. Where I’ll be, is another matter. I hope I’m not still out here playing cat and mouse with the French. I don’t think we will, somehow. Despite that foul retreat we’ve just been through, I’ve got a feeling we’ve turned a corner. I think in a year or so, we might be fighting this war on French soil. I do hope so, my French is a lot better than my Spanish.

Thank you so much for your answers, Paul. It's been a pleasure finding out more about you. I'm looking forward to catching up with more of your escapades - military and domestic!

Lynn Bryant was born and raised in London's East End. She studied History at University and has been a librarian, a relationship counsellor, an art gallery manager and ran an Irish Dance school before she realised that most of these were just as unlikely as being a writer and took the step of publishing her first book.

She lives in the Isle of Man and is married with two grown children and two Labradors. History is still a passion, with a particular enthusiasm for the Napoleonic era and military history in general. Lynn has published ten books, including five books in the Peninsular War saga and the first in a linked series about a Manx naval captain.

Lynn can be found at the following links:

Website        

Facebook     

Twitter:          @LynnBry29527024

The Peninsular War Saga is available on Amazon   

I hope you've enjoyed meeting Paul van Daan today and that you'll pop in to read the next instalment on the Historical Writers' Forum 'Interview My Character' Blog Hop. You'll find that on Saturday 29th June when Stephanie Churchill interviews talented singer Marie-Therese from author Vanessa Couchman's novel Overture.
(p.s. I've read this novel already and it was a fabulous read)


My review thoughts on reading An Unconventional Officer. 

Lynn Bryant is a new author to me and one I’m very glad to have encountered. I thoroughly enjoyed reading An Unconventional Officer and intend to follow the further escapades of Colonel Paul van Daan.

Book 1 introduces the striking personality of Paul van Daan, a man of many talents and convictions, some of which are not quite conventional for the era he lives in. His salutary teenage experiences often influence how he conducts himself as a more mature man and as a new officer of the 110th Light Infantry. I found it easy to sympathise and identify with some of Paul’s attitudes regarding the treatment and punishment of his underlings in the regiments, his methods not popular with his colleagues and not necessarily immediately popular with the men he commands because they don’t understand his reasoning. It takes a little time for him to grow his fair, yet seriously firm reputation – not simple when war is just around the corner.

Though he definitely is a man who readily draws women to him, and has fathered at least one daughter out-of-wedlock for whom he takes some responsibility, he’s not entirely a rogue. The young and gentle Rowena appeals to the softer side of him, their interaction demonstrating that even though still quite young himself he has a strong enough sense of duty regarding her future, and their future together. However, as time goes on, it seems somehow inevitable that Rowena is a temporary feature in Paul’s life, especially so after he meets the indomitable Anne. To say more of his relationships with women would spoil the story for a new reader!

The author paints very vivid characters, main and secondary, in well-described and very different landscapes from rural England to the battlegrounds of Portugal. The pace is energetic and throughout the novel the author provides a really in-depth knowledge of the era. There’s a relaxed, almost earthy and modern quality to the language used which works very well in the military settings: a bit different from the often more formal and dated language of many novels set during the Regency era.

A highly recommended read.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sir_Arthur_Wellesley,_1st_Duke_of_Wellington.png
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Badajoz.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Napoleon_le_Grand_(4674756).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Salamanca.jpg

Slainthe!