Military History Circle - Cochrane: The Real Master and Commander

13:15, 25 Apr 2008
RUSI, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2ET

Link to map: multimap

About the event:

Dr David Cordingly will examine some of the astonishing feats which Lord Cochrane achieved as a frigate captain in the Napoleonic Wars and later as commander of the navies of Chile and Brazil. A bold, impulsive and controversial figure, Cochrane became the model for Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander as well as for some of the exploits of Hornblower and other fictional heroes.

Dr David Cordingly was Keeper of Pictures and then Head of Exhibitions at the National Maritime Museum. He read Modern History at the University of Oxford and has a doctorate from the University of Sussex. His books include Life Among the Pirates: The Romance and the Reality (Abacus, 1996); the highly acclaimed Billy Ruffian: The Bellerophon and the Downfall of Napoleon (Bloomsbury, 2003); and Cochrane the Dauntless: The Life and Adventures of Thomas Cochrane (Bloomsbury, 2007).

This event is open to RUSI members who are members of the Institute’s Military History Circle only. To become a member please click here.

Please note that this lecture will now begin at 1315. An optional £6 sandwich lunch shall be available from 1245.

 

Event manager: Jennifer Walker, +44 (0)20 7747 2643