In homage to Bernard Cornwell.
A lot of my favourite books leave me happily wondering what happened next. In fact it is, to me, an indication of a good author. When the book is part of a series, I find myself filling in the gaps. I have really enjoyed Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series, and this is shown by the fact that I have written quite a bit of fan fiction about it. Some of it still needs polishing, but these I am happy with (for the moment).
A big thank-you to Janet and Sarah for proof-reading and sorting out my grammar.
Late Summer 1805
This is about Sharpe's decision to take his old colonel's advice, and apply for a transfer to the 95th Rifles. The time seems propitious as the regiment has just formed a second battalion. How would a man like Sharpe cope with walking into a strange regiment uninvited, and how would that strange regiment, the 95th Rifles, react to Sharpe? Could Sharpe's devotion to the regiment start at this point?
Late 1805/Early 1806
In "Sharpe's Gold" Richard Sharpe insists on giving Teresa Moreno his rifle, even though she already has the one which belonged to Isaiah Tongue. He is insistent that she give the deceased Isaiah's weapon to her brother and keep his. I often wondered why.
1806/1807
One of the remarkable points about Sharpe in the novels is his devotion to the 95th Rifles. There is no way that his experiences with Major Dunnett would have produced such devotion, so it is obvious that Sharpe must have had some of the happiest times of his life between joining the Rifles in 1805/6 and leaving for Spain in 1808. Given the nature of the Rifles, and the unusual attitude amongst the majority of the senior officers, this is how it may have happened.
June 1807
In my readings about the British Army of this era, I read that all new subalterns to the 95th trained with the rank and file (which is why Sharpe was able to issue himself with a rifle), but also that quartermasters were non-combatants and didn't do field training. So how did Sharpe manage to keep himself in training?
May 1809
At the end of "Sharpe's Rifle" we leave the lieutenant with Hogan's exploring party in the north of Portugal. At the beginning of "Sharpe's Eagle" we meet him again, injured, on the way into Spain. This is one of the events which might have happened in between.
1814/1815
A full length novel, set during the New Orleans Campaign, written by another fan - Alan Kempner. Sharpe is sent on a mission to America by the Duke of Wellington.
If you enjoy this story, please email Alan.
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Last update 29/6/04