The Siege of Alicante
David Chandler describes a heroic episode during the War of the Spanish Succession.
The long and distinguished annals of the British army contain numerous examples of courage, endurance and devotion to duty. Many are safely enshrined in our national history; others are all but forgotten, however deserving of remembrance. The one hundred and thirty-six day defence of Alicante belongs to the latter category, and it is fitting in this, the two hundred and sixtieth anniversary of the siege, to recall the bravery of the Allied garrison, and above all of the man who was the very soul and inspiration of the defence both before and after his gallant death, namely the Governor, Major-General John Richards.
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