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For centuries they have faced capture, torture, even death, to be with the ones they love. For centuries they have been the unsung heroines of war. This is their story.

Spanning four centuries, from the 1660s to the present day, Following the Drum tells the stories of the wives, daughters and mistresses of British soldiers who followed their men to the most treacherous places on earth. Drawing on memoirs, correspondence and interviews, Annabel Venning paints a vivid portrait of the extraordinary lives of women whose courage and resilience areoften overlooked.

As well as blood and battles, Venning looks at the trials and tribulations of day-to-day life: from doing the laundry while under fire in the Crimea to finding baby food in riot-torn India. There are tales of illicit affairs, pompous commanders, hostile natives and devoted servants, but most of all there are the personal tragedies, hopes and ambitions of the women who followed thedrum around the world.