This book represents the first stage of what I hope will be a very long journey – a journey which started with a food writer reading of some marvellous meals in a fictional series about a Napoleonic War naval captain and his friend, moved on to a general interest in the true history of what has come to be called ‘Nelson’s Navy’ and from there to the world of academia, archives, and serious historical research. Much of the fine detail for the book came from the research for my MA dissertation ‘Victualling the British Mediterranean Fleet, July 1803 – June 1804’ (hence the predominance of references to that fleet, but other logs and documents strongly suggest that these reflect the general situation).
Along my journey I have received help and encouragement from many people, to all of whom I will be eternally grateful:
At the Greenwich Maritime Institute, my tutor Professor Roger Knight, the director Professor Sarah Palmer, Doctor Roger Morriss, who taught me how to use the various archives, and my fellow students who shared information with me, but especially Charles Consolvo and David Elvin.
At the archives, Jennie Wraight and Iain MacKenzie of the Admiralty Library; Jane Wickenden at the Institute of Naval Medicine; Andrew Helm at the Nelson Museum, Monmouth; Matthew Sheldon, Head of Research Collections and Richard Noyce, Curator of Artifacts at the Royal Naval Museum Portsmouth; Lt-Cdr. Nowoskielski, C.O. of HMS Victory; the staff at the British Library, the Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, the Public Record Office, and the library of the Wellcome Trust.
Elsewhere, Professor Richard Harding of the University of Westminster for suggestions on logistics literature, John Harland for advice on stowage, Roel Mulder for information on Dutch naval food, Brian Vale for information on South America, Spain and Portugal, Andrew McCoig who checked my calorie and vitamin calculations and Clive Gardner who helped with Richard Ford.
Dave Balderstone, Compuserve History forum; Bryn Hughes, General Manager of HMS Trincomalee; Tyrone Martin of USS Constitution; Mark Nesbitt, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Michael & Jane Phillips; Mr E J Revell; Bill Sargeant; Lord de Saumarez; Roderick Stewart of the Unicorn Preservation Society; Tim Voelcker; and all my e-friends at the Searoom forum who have shared information and ideas with me on this and many other topics.
And last but by no means least, my husband Ken Maxwell-Jones: assistant researcher, editor, proofreader, coffee maker and recipe sampler.