A Pattern of Virtue: The Arduous Life and Mysterious Death of a Corporal Major in Victoria's Life Guards

‘A Pattern of Every Soldierly Virtue’, said Lord Longford, and so it read on William Silwood’s gravestone after his violent death. Born in poverty in a tiny village in Hertfordshire, William had to struggle to survive. But he was hard working and had the strength of character to rise above his roots to finally gain the highest rank for a non-commissioned officer. However, this book is not just a biography of a soldier in the 2nd Lifeguards, although this does make for a gripping personal story. Rather it is a social history of the times from William’s birth in 1863 to his death in 1909, setting in stark contrast the privations faced by our ancestors against our easy life today. It also looks beyond the main protagonist, to consider the background of his parents and describe the environment for his wife and children in late Victorian and early Edwardian times.