Dear Sir

I appreciate it was one of the Sharpe Films that was not based on any of your books.  But if I could pick your Brain?

I don’t know if you’re familiar with this particular episode or not, although I’d imagine you would be……………….

Matt Trueman tells Sharpe he was fighting against the wrong people, because his view was he was fighting against the French Working classes.

If you are familiar with Sharpe’s Justice, Philip Glenister the actor who played Matt Trueman several years later played a Police Officer that made him a national favourite.  If you ever get the opportunity I would seriously recommend the British (and original) version of Life on Mars.  Philip Glenister played a 70s Police Office called DCI Gene Hunt.  Well worth a watch, I did try to watch the U.S version and could not get into it.

Was that a view shared by the working classes in real life at that time?  Because whilst I can see why they would have come to that point of view, as somebody with the benefit of hindsight I can see it’s a very single minded view, which does not take into consideration that those working class people were part of huge armies that were invading other people’s countries and taking “perks” that came with being part of conquering armies.

On the subject of the whole peninsular war.  What do you think was the real reason why Britain fought?  Was it because we saw what France was doing was ‘not cricket’?  Or was it more than likely to be about France threatening Britain’s financial interests/trade?  Again hindsight is a wonderful thing, and we don’t have a glorious history when it comes to other people’s countries, so please don’t feel this is a dig at France.

Thank you Sir.

Lee