Dear Bernard – Have enjoyed many of your books over the years. One thing I stumbled across recently that truly amazed me was that all Sharpe’s promotions were based on the same time frame as a real soldier who came up through the ranks. Who was he and where can I read about him? Because he must have been some soldier. With all the disease and death in battle it amazes me that any one man managed to live through the whole peninsula campaign (apart from Wellington, who including his India days as well, as I’m sure you’ll agree, seemed to have lived a charmed life) but to come from the ranks and get to Colonel? That’s incredible… Regards, Mark