Gibraltar Audiobook By Lesley Adkins, Roy Adkins cover art

Gibraltar

The Greatest Siege in British History

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Gibraltar

By: Lesley Adkins, Roy Adkins
Narrated by: John Telfer
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For over three and a half years, from 1779 to 1783, the tiny territory of Gibraltar was besieged and blockaded, on land and at sea, by the overwhelming forces of Spain and France. It became the longest siege in British history, and the obsession with saving Gibraltar was blamed for the loss of the American colonies in the War of Independence.

Located between the Mediterranean and Atlantic, on the very edge of Europe, Gibraltar was a place of varied nationalities, languages, religions and social classes. During the siege, thousands of soldiers, civilians and their families withstood terrifying bombardments, starvation and diseases. Very ordinary people lived through extraordinary events, from shipwrecks and naval battles to an attempted invasion of England and a daring sortie out of Gibraltar into Spain. Deadly innovations included red-hot shot, shrapnel shells and a barrage from immense floating batteries.

This is military and social history at its best, a story of soldiers, sailors and civilians, with royalty and rank-and-file, workmen and engineers, priests, prisoners-of-war, spies and surgeons, all caught up in a struggle for a fortress located on little more than two square miles of awe-inspiring rock. Gibraltar: The Greatest Siege in British History is an epic page-turner, rich in dramatic human detail - a tale of courage, endurance, intrigue, desperation, greed and humanity. The everyday experiences of all those involved are brought vividly to life with eyewitness accounts and expert research.

'A fascinating, well-crafted account of a siege that defined Britishness' Andrew Lambert, BBC History Magazine©2017 Roy Adkins 18th Century Armed Forces Europe Military Modern Naval Forces Siege War Royalty England Napoleon Bonaparte Solider Great Britain
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Critic reviews

The siege that changed the course of British History . . . Well-researched and briskly written . . . worthy of the most melodramatic Hollywood blockbuster (Dominic Sandbrook)
The Adkins . . . have captured the tortured and contested story of this solitary rock with aplomb . . . The Adkins's page-turning account makes you feel as if you were there amid the smoke, blood and gunpowder
A definitive new book . . . it recounts in detail the stirring story of the conflict and Lord Heathfield's key role in ensuring a momentous British victory
The Adkins bring the siege vividly to life, especially the everyday experiences of all those involved in the struggle . . . An epic page-turner (Julian Stockwin)
Fascinating and timely
Never loses sight of the human story at the heart of an extraordinary international incident
Fascinating . . . an enthralling and colourful history told with human stories at its heart
Another epic and illuminating look at Britain's past from Roy and Lesley Adkins, masters of the historical narrative. Ordinary mortals in extraordinary circumstances leap off the pages
Highly readable . . . With plenty of drama to draw upon and an impressive commitment to research, this is a book to delight the military history enthusiast
A fascinating, well-crafted account of a siege that defined Britishness (Andrew Lambert)
Well written history, excitingly told. Why not get yourself a copy? (J J Alcantara)
The husband-and-wife historian team once again exhibit their talent for enlivening British history . . . Many readers will wonder why this episode hasn't been made into a movie, with all the heroics of soldiers, civilians, and, especially, families . . . The story is as compelling as it is fantastic - page-turning history of one of the most important eras of Western civilization
This intense account portrays the heroism and sufferings of the defenders while offering interesting vignettes that cover intriguing personalities on both sides. The Adkinses have created an absorbing examination of an important episode in British and European history (Jay Freeman)
The authors adeptly place this siege narrative within the larger context of the war [American War of Independence] in its later years . . . Roy and Lesley Adkins have given us a gripping, well-written account . . . It is an excellent reminder to American readers, especially, that the spread of hostilities beyond the geographical limits of the thirteen rebellious colonies was a determining factor in their successful fight for independence (Jon Ault, H-Net Reviews)
A page-turning tale of one of the era's longest and most significant sieges, described from the perspective of those who lived through it . . . a well organized, fast-paced book
All stars
Most relevant
From 1779 to 1783 the Spanish and French Ships had blockaded the British owned City of Gibraltar. The Spanish also besieged the city by land. The obsession with saving Gibraltar was blamed for the loss of the American colonies by some historians.

The authors tell the story of the siege. They tell the stories of the soldiers, their families and civilian workers who withstood the bombardment, starvation and diseases for three years. The fortress was located on about two square miles of rock. The British Army conducted daring guerilla strikes into Spain. In the end, the French Navy was eventually sunk when their gun batteries overheated and exploded. I enjoyed the descriptions from Mrs. Green’s diary about the various diseases that went through the city and army base. I found the information about smallpox the most interesting. Sometimes smallpox was brought in on a ship that ran the blockade and at other times it seemed to be a seasonal outbreak. Mrs. Green appeared to be most upset that Governor Elliott did not allow vaccinations to stop the epidemic. Mrs. Green had excellent descriptions of other diseases and the effects of starvation such as scurvy. The authors report that food prices were extremely high but the Governor did not allow price fixing because of the high profits to be made which were the incentive to the privateers to risk running the blockade.

The book is well written and meticulously researched. The Adkin’s writing style is to intersperse narrative with first-hand accounts that give an accurate picture of the times. The authors reveal step by step every major decision made by Governor Elliott and the military staff. This provides a fascinating insight into the officers and the wives as well as the enlisted men and civilian workers. The book format provides a comprehensive bibliography and index as well as maps, diagrams and photographs. The Adkins are well-known British archeologists and historians and have written a number of books. For the more serious reader the book format would make an excellent reference book.

The book is fifteen hours long. John Telfer does a good job narrating the book. Telfer is a well-known English actor and audiobook narrator.

Fascinating

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