Sir Harry Flashman

Capsule Bio

Flashman, Harry Paget. Brigadier-general, V.C., K.C.B., K.C.I.E.; Chevalier, Legion of Honour; U.S. Medal of honor; San Serafino Order of purity and truth, 4th Class. b 1822, s H. Flashman, Esq., Ashby and Hon. Alicia Paget; educ. Rugby School. m. Elspeth Rennie Morrison, d. Lord Paisley; one s., one d. Served Afghanistan, 1841-42 (medals, thanks of Parlaiment); Crimea (staff); Indian mutiny (Lucknow, etc., V.C.); China, Taiping Rebellion. Served U.S. Army (major, Union forces, 1862; colonel (staff) Army of the Confederacy, 1863). Travelled extensively in military and civilian capacites; a.d.c. Emperor Maximilian of Mexico; milit. advisor, H.M. Queen Ranavalona of Madagascar; chief of staff to Rajah of Sarawak; dep. marshall, U.S. Chmn, Flashman and Bottomley, Ltd.; dir. British Opium Trading Co.; governor, Rugby School; hon. pres. Mission for Reclamation of Reduced Females. Publications: Dawns and Departures of a Soldier's Life; Twixt Cossack and Cannon; The Case Against Army Reform. Clubs; White's, United Service, Blackjack (Batavia). Recreation: oriental studes, angling. Add. Gandamack Lodge, Ashby, Leics.

From Who's Who, 1896 edition.

"Battle of the Stiff Upper Lip Heroes"

It's Tom Jones against Mr. Darcy! Next year's rival big television action series look set to pitch breeches-busting heart-throbs Max Beesley and Colin Firth against one another. Max is to don flying goggles and leather jacket to star as flying ace Biggles in an adaption of the famous Captain WE John's books for BBC1.

Meanwhile, ITV are putting their faith in Flashman, a series based on the 19th century wartime exploits of Harry Flashman with Firth in the title role. Both series will be bursting with colour, action and romance.

... Filming on Biggles looks set for France and Cornwall, while Flashman will be shot across Europe and in Wales. Other casting has yet to be finalised though both Joanna Lumley and Felicity Kendal have been mentioned as villainesses for Flashman."

Thanks to Ann W.

Information on left and below from
The Flashman Papers

 

As the thumbnail biography above indicates, General Flashman witnessed most of the major events of the 19th century first-hand. Yet he is rarely mentioned in most histories of the period. Despite the illustrious career outlined above, General Flashman remains one of the least known heroes of the Victorian era. He may very well have gone forgotten if not for the fortuitous discovery of his memoirs-- the famous "Flashman Papers"-- in 1965. According to their editor, George MacDonald Fraser:

"The papers, which had apparently lain untouched for fifty years, in a tea chest, until they were found in the Ashby saleroom, were carefully wrapped in oilskin covers. From correspondence found in the first packet, it is evident that their original discovery by [Flashman's] relatives in 1915 after the great soldier's death caused considerable consternation; they seem to have been unanimously against publication of their kinsman's autobiography-- one can readily understand why-- and the only wonder is that the manuscript was not destroyed."

Fraser notes that the papers were claimed by the nearest known living relative of the author, Mr. Paget Morrison of Durban, South Africa. Mr. Morrison thereupon enlisted Fraser, a reporter for the Glasgow Herald, to prepare the manuscripts for publication. The first packet, published in 1969 under the title Flashman, caused a sensation among historians at the time.


Who is Harry Flashman?

He is Harry Paget Flashman, Brigadier-General, VC, KCB, KCIE, Chevalier, Legion d'Honneur; US Medal of Honor; San Serafino Order of Purity and Truth, 4th Class -- and perhaps the most outrageous poltroon, liar, bully, blackguard, womanizer, and cad of his or any other age. Originally, Flashman was the creation of Thomas Hughes and featured in Tom Brown's School Days, Hughes' 1857 classic celebrating the virility-building virtues of an English public school education. Flashman, naturally, was the villain of the piece, the bullying "brute" Flash Harry who, pipes poor Tom, "never speaks to one without a kick or an oath." He was, Hughes tells us, "a formidable enemy for small boys. [He] left no slander unspoken, and no deed undone, which could in any way hurt his victims." Flashman's reign of terror peaks when he nearly kills the young hero by roasting him over a fire. But his sadistic cruelty toward the school's little chaps is matched only by his sniveling fear of any bigger lads bold enough to confront him. He is finally beaten in a fight with Tom and another boy and receives his just desserts when he gets "beastly drunk" on gin and beer and is expelled.

With this, Flashman disappears from Hughes' novel. His career, however, was far from over. The rest of his story had to wait to be told by Fraser, who "discovered" the remarkable Flashman Papers in a Leiscestershire saleroom in 1966. Acting as "editor," Fraser published the first packet of these papers under the title Flashman.

 

Thanks, Karen for the picture and some of the links below.


Flashman mentions on several occasions that the uniform of the 11th Hussars complemented his looks. The uniform was created when the 11th Light Dragoons were assigned to escort Prince Albert to his marriage to Queen Victoria in February 1840. Cecil Woodham-Smith describes the uniforms as follows:

Hussars are the most brilliant of cavalry, and the 11th Hussars were superb. They wore overalls (trousers) of cherry colour, jackets or royal blue edged with gold, furred pelisses, short coats, worn as capes, glittering with bullion braid and gold lace, high fur hats adorned with brilliant plumes.

Woodham-Smith quotes the Times as saying: The brevity of their jackets, the irrationality of their headgear, the incredible tightness of their cherry-coloured pants, altogether defy description; they must be seen to be appreciated.

The Flashman Papers

 

 

Royal Flash (IMdb)