How good were the good old days?

In popular culture this refers to a bygone era that (in this writer’s opinion) was preferable to that in which they now live. Twenty years or so after the war had finished, to many of the adults in the area of London where I lived, this would become a mantra.

As a child of course I believed we lived in a playground paradise. We could play for days making camps in any of the hundreds of bombed buildings. Our parents knew little of the things we would get up to, and in retrospect this was probably just as well.

In truth we lived in sub-standard houses, with leaking roofs, sparse furnishings, often plagued by bed bugs, no hot running water, no baths, and a diet restricted by rationing.

Devastation remaining in the City, 1955: northward on Basinghall Street behind the Guildhall.

In comparison, many Victorian Londoners would have lived in comparative luxury. Professional people or respectable trades persons could live comfortable lives, but the further east you move along the shores of the working river, or over the bridge to Southwark, the harder life would have become.

This is where the poorer people would have struggled to exist from one day to the next. Most would have been without even a basic education and made a shilling or two by whatever means (legal or not, more often not!) Even in the lowest strata of humanity there is always an hierarchy: the people who through mostly dubious means rise like scum to the top of the soup; the villains who turn their hand to anything to make a shilling; the bully boys who put their women to work in the alleyways in search of a punter looking for cheap sex.

Alas, children were just as likely to be traded, and men like "Fagin the fence" who, knowing a little about the value of various items, would sell loot brought to him by pickpockets, muggers, thieves of all kinds, and make a nice little profit for himself. The children were well aware that punishment for stealing was more often than not the hangman’s noose. In the novel Oliver Twist Charles Dickens has the young Oliver fall into the hands of "Fagin the Jew" who was running a gang of street kids he had taught to "pickpocket" or "purse snip" anything they could get their hands on to exchange for a place to sleep, a little food, and most importantly company and safety in numbers.

Detail of an original George Cruikshank engraving showing the Artful Dodger introducing Oliver to Fagin.

Many would make a living as best they could, within the law or at the very least just outside. Ginger ale was a fairly easy drink to make, and in the summer easy enough to sell, as well as toffee apples, crystal sugar strings, tapers for the fire, paper flowers, any item that could be sold. If a person had a gift of any kind, singing, dancing, or could do a trick, this too would be employed on the streets to entertain passers-by in hope of a copper or two.

But, as is the way in many very poor areas, drinking was often a great part of life. Drinking and gambling was endemic amongst the poorer classes, and gin (mother’s ruin) was one of the preferred tipples of the times. Perhaps in an attempt to dumb the senses, people could be seen staggering through the dim-lit alleyways the worst for drink, easy prey for the "cosh boys" or pickpockets.

One can only imagine the smell of such places. Sewerage was basic, and most of London’s needs came upriver to the wharfs, so the smell of fish, veg, and spices would have mingled with the unmistakable smell of leather hides and fur pelts.

Together with the powerful aroma of poverty, the great fire of 1666 had raged through this area, and almost 200 years later many remains of the old backwater buildings would still have housed many families. Charles Dickens himself lived in relative squalor. His Father John Dickens was locked up in the Marshalsea Prison for debt and Charles moved into Lant Street quite close by.

Charles Dickens

The effect on the young Charles must have been profound. It is believed the character Mr Micawber in David Copperfield was based on his father, and even the Good Mr Pickwick falls foul of the law and is committed to prison.

Victorian society in The Pickwick Papers was overtly moral and at times pious. In its attitude to the amoral poorer classes, the legal system handed out severe punishment to offenders. Execution was the accepted punishment for many crimes that would be considered petty today, and hanging was a public spectacle, some attracting as many as 40-50,000 people. Many of the wealthy spectators would pay large sums to rent a room with a view of the gallows, including Charles Dickens, who remarked how pleased he was at the most reasonable price he and some friends had managed to acquire a room with a view of the hangman’s noose.

Following the 1868 Capital Punishment Amendment Act, all executions took place within prison walls, bringing an end to the public spectacle. The most trivial crimes could incur a prison sentence, all of which involved hard labour. Even a reasonably short term was likely to bring about the death of the inmate. If however the accused was given a long-term incarceration, ironically he had a better chance of survival (longer terms were seldom with hard labour, the courts preferring to see a long-term prisoner live to serve out his sentence so justice was seen to be done!)

Newgate Prison exercise yard

For many of those convicted, being wealthy was a distinct advantage as it was quite acceptable for a person to pay someone else to serve his time for him. The "turnkey" (or guard) was an unpaid position but they would get a percentage of the money paid by the better off prisoners. But this was to end by 1800 when payment for a better cell was abolished, however you could still pay for food to be sent into the prison (food and the wellbeing of inmates was not a priority). Conditions were appalling and Newgate Prison was referred to as "The hell above ground".

When it is remembered that incarceration was reserved for only the most petty crimes, stealing a rabbit from a warren on someone else's ground, or cutting wood from their tree could carry a sentenced of death by hanging. Between 1800 and 1827, 2,338 persons met their death at the hangman’s noose. It was a common belief that crime was a physical condition of the poorer class, (the “Criminal Class”) and up until 1843 the condemned prisoners’ bodies would be dissected in an effort to identify the cause of such behaviour.

This was the time of the Industrial Revolution in England, and the fuel that fed this explosion of wealth was coal and child labour (cheap and plentiful at the time). Many children whose only crime was their poverty were worked to death in the expanding industries throughout Victorian England and its Empire.

Each year, especially at Christmas time, I like so many have read and reread Charles Dickens' wonderful books, imagining the perfect seasonal celebrations of "The Pickwick Papers" and "A Christmas Carol", and relished the obligatory showing of musical adaptations of "Oliver". Many of the achievements during this period are to be admired, but were these really "the good old days"?

In the words of the Newley/Bricusse song, “People will say when they look back on to-day/They were the "Good old-Bad old days."

John

Today on Present Arms we have a special guest, military history fiction writer Richard Thomas. Richard's debut novel from Thames River Press, Forever the Colours, is a fascinating blend of a military historical and a sci-fi based around the Battle of Maiwand in 1880. Packed full of colourful description and larger-than-life characters including the inimitable Tommy Evans, Forever the Colours should appeal to fans of military historical fiction such as Cornwell's Sharpe series as well as anyone with an interest in the period.

To support Richard's debut, the WRAP Team have interviewed him about his research into the era and his writing practices, so read on for this unique chance to peer into the mind of an historical fiction writer.

Freya and Barry's reviews of Forever the Colours are now available here, and Tony is also writing a supporting podcast on the first and second Anglo-Afghan wars to whet your whistle for the book that will go up later in the week. Enjoy!

A modern British soldier. One very Victorian battle.

When Tommy Evans regains consciousness after being injured on the battlefield of modern-day Afghanistan, the world around him is not the same. Filled with cannon smoke, gunfire and the whinnying of horses, Tommy inexplicably finds himself transported back to 1880 – back to the eve of one of the British army’s worst defeats in the second Anglo-Afghan war: the Battle of Maiwand. Now he must find his way back home or face the very real possibility of perishing along with most of the soldiers of the 66th Foot, the Berkshires.

Welcome to the WRAP site! Please start by telling us a little about yourself.

My name is Richard Thomas, I am 44 years old, married with four children and reside in Cowes on the Isle of Wight.  I am an ex Prison Officer as of July 2013, with 9 years service.  Previous to this I worked for the Mirror Newspaper Group in Coventry.  My hobbies are writing,  walking, gardening and playing sport with my sons.  I am also bullied into playing war games on the XBOX with my two youngest - honest.

We understand Forever the Colours is your debut novel. Can you tell us a little about the book?

Forever the Colours is my debut novel.  I had always wanted  to write a book but never got around to doing it.  In 2012 I was off work with a Femoral hernia and awaiting a repair; I could do nothing remotely physical and found myself at a loss of what to do with my time. I came up with the idea to write a book.  I decided it had to be historical fiction because that is what I enjoy reading most. Researching history is another great pastime for me, not just military, all sorts from ancient Rome, to the Celts - to Tudor England and politics -  I also like science fiction, but not the really heavy stuff.

What made you choose this period and/or this topic for your first book?

My idea was to come up with a book that was different from what I had read before.  I decided on a science fiction/historical fiction cross over, combining the British army in modern day Afghanistan, and in the Victorian period.  I have an interest in Britain's involvement in Afghanistan today and I have had a family member actually serving out there.  I researched the UK's previous forays into that country and had the choice of the 1st, 2nd or 3rd Anglo Afghan wars.  I decided against the first, not because I don't think it merits writing about, but because I read the accounts of the battle of Maiwand in the 2nd war and that made up my mind.

What kind of research did you have to do for the novel? What kind of sources do you use?

I researched the period via the internet and downloaded books from Amazon on everything I could absorb about this war and in particular the battle itself.  It took quite some time and some rather late nights to gather enough information with jottings on plots and sub plots.  Characters to use and how to portray those particular characters without besmirching their names.  I researched everything from weapons, rifles, cannon, clothing and food, to Indian names, local accents and slang of the period, medical supplies and alcohol.  And much more.  Although I believed in having everything historically correct, I also had to concentrate on the story, and made sure that it evolved smoothly alongside the "historic" bits.  One thing that did make it difficult though, was the amount of different accounts on the battle.  I had to look at many different versions of events, and then find some middle ground.  In the end I decided all that mattered was how the battle was perceived through the eyes of my main character, a 21st century soldier.

What's in the pipeline? Do you have further books planned?

I do have a sequel for Forever the Colours, it's called Flying the Colours.  It is basically set 39 years in the future during the 3rd Anglo/Afghan conflict of 1919.  My character, Tommy Evans, goes on to meet some very interesting characters from the North West Frontier, and experience the RAF's first involvement in Afghanistan.  He will also meet a young officer named Arthur Harris.  I also have a book I started about a year ago but decided to put it down in favour of my Colours sequel.  It is about a young lad from a farming background name Michael Crowhurst.  The narrative explores his failed relationships with his older brother, and the girl he has been in love with since he was a boy.  In anger he goes on to join the RAMC during WW1 and goes on to serve in France.  During a lull in fighting he tends to the wounded on the battlefield, but he finds himself caught out in no mans land when the battle starts to rage again. He then has an encounter in the middle of all that death and mud that will live with him for the rest of his life.  It's called The Stretcher Bearer, and I hope to finish it this year.

What do you most - and least - enjoy about writing historical fiction?

The thing I enjoy most about writing historical fiction is bringing people back to life and giving them personalities of my choosing - as long as you keep them in the best light possible if they actually existed.  The thing I dislike the most about writing historical fiction is being 6000 words into a chapter, and then realising you have made an historical mistake and have to do it all again!  That is not a good feeling.

Richard

Find Richard: on his website
Find Richard: on Twitter
Find Richard: on his contact page