Ronald Welch (1909–1982)

Born in the late 12th century in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, in Outremer - as the Christian realm established in the Holy Land by the knights of the First Crusade was known - Philip d'Aubigny was the son of a great baron, and had trained all of his life for warfare. Fighting against the forces of Saladin at the Battle of Hattin (1187 AD), he lost his father, and was taken captive. Escaping from Damascus after four years of servitude, he made his way westward with his friend and companion, Sir show more Gilbert d'Assailly, encountering the feared Order of Assassins, and eventually finding his way to Krak des Chevaliers, the stronghold of the Knights Hospitaller. From thence he made his way to Acre, where he joined Richard the Lionheart's campaign, as part of the Third Crusade, fighting alongside the English king in the Battle of Arsuf (1191 AD). When his path led him even further west, to England and Wales, Philip found that he still must fight, this time to retake his ancestral home in the Welsh Marches, Llanstephan Castle...

Originally published in 1954, and awarded the Carnegie Medal that year, Knight Crusader is a marvelously told work of historical fiction - instantly engrossing and consistently engaging. The historical setting is believably depicted, and the characters feel as if they truly live. This is definitely not one of those "historical" novels that feels like a contemporary tale dressed up in period costume, with characters whose outlook on life would be more appropriate today, then in the twelfth century. Rather, one feels as if Philip and all of the people he encounters, whether friend or foe, were people of their time. There is great violence in the story - it is, after all, a narrative of a warrior and his adventures - and this violence is depicted realistically, and often quite graphically, with no shying away from the brutal reality of the time and place in which the book is set. Similarly, these is prejudice - Philip's dislike of the Pullani, for instance: noblemen who were half Norman/Frankish, and half Middle-Eastern - and it is depicted realistically, without editorial comment. That said, the narrative also encourages the reader to consider how much more advanced the societies of the Middle East were, during this period of history, compared to their western counterparts, and the possibility of friendship across ethnic and religious lines is confirmed, through the sub-plot involving Philip's relationship with Jusuf Al-Hafiz and his father.

I finished Knight Crusader more rapidly than any other book I have read in the last few months, and I put it down with regret. So great was my enjoyment that I am thinking of tracking down a complete set of the "Carey Family Chronicles" that followed on from this initial tale. Highly recommended to all fans of historical fiction, both adult and juvenile. It is quite graphic at times, so I would only recommend it to children at the higher middle grade level and up - perhaps ten and older? show less

Owen Lloyd, only son and heir of impoverished Welsh landowner Sir Thomas Lloyd, resented the hard times into which his family had fallen, thanks in no small part to the grasping Turberville familly—recent English newcomers in their area of the Welsh Marches. Riding out to fight on the Yorkist side of the Wars of the Roses, Owen and his father were at the Battle of Edgecote, where Owen distinguished himself in combat, despite being on the losing side. Returning to Kenfig Castle after show more surviving that defeat, only for Sir Thomas to be murdered by one of the Turbervilles, and then avenged by his son in a melee at Caerphilly Castle, the exiled Owen would eventually go on to fight for the Yorkist cause at Barnet and Tewkesbury, and to take service with the Duke of Gloucester (King Richard III), before eventually returning to his Welsh home in triumph...

Unsurprisingly, given the fact that I have enjoyed the twelve previous Ronald Welch novels I have read—all part of his Carey Family Chronicles, which follow the fortunes of another Welsh land-owning family through many centuries of British history—I found Sun of York quite engaging, and raced through it in two days. It is the first work of historical fiction, for children or adults, that I have read that is set during the Wars of the Roses, and was very interesting to me, on that score. In many ways, this felt like it could have been another volume in the Carey Family Chronicles, which never covered this particular episode of history. In any case, I enjoyed the story, and found Owen an appealing hero. I appreciated the thoroughly non-romantic look at the warfare of the time—the stiff but brutal combat of men in armor, the looting of bodies after battle—and I also found the depiction of a young Richard III quite fascinating. Given the poor reputation his character often has in the pages of history and literature, I thought Welch did an excellent job creating a more nuanced vision of him. As he observes in his historical afterword, "he was probably no worse than any of the other leading figures of his time."

Recommended to young readers who enjoy good historical fiction, and to anyone seeking children's fiction set during the Wars of the Roses. show less

Second Lieutenant John Carey experiences the horror of war for the first time on the battlefield of Mons in this gripping, vividly-realized work of historical fiction for young readers. As the narrative moves from one WWI battle to the next, John serves under commanders good and bad, and sees almost all of his fellows mowed down in the carnage around him. Eventually, he is recruited for a brand new, top secret unit, one that will introduce tank warfare into the conflict...

The twelfth entry show more in Ronald Welch's Carey Family Chronicles, which follows the fortunes of members of the same landed Welsh family through centuries of British history, Tank Commander was originally publisher in 1972, and is the last of the books, chronologically speaking. (The thirteenth entry in the series, The Road to Waterloo, was published posthumously from the author's notes in 2018, and is set far earlier in time, in the period leading up to that famous battle). Tank Commander offers a fascinating look at the mechanization of warfare during the First World War—a subject about which I hitherto knew nothing, but which proved quite engrossing. As always, Welch knows his history, and provides a wealth of technical detail, all worked into a story of a young man involved in the development of a new way of waging war. This is a different kind of WWI book, and I found, as I read it, that I was comparing it in my mind to another excellent work of children's fiction set during the period, namely, Michael Morpurgo's War Horse. While that book examined warfare from the perspective of an equine participant, harking back to older means of fighting, the Welch is focused on the development of technology, and its use in newer forms of fighting. Given that WWI is sometimes called "the first modern war," I think reading these two books together would offer some interesting insight, and spark good discussion amongst young people studying the subject.

In any case, I found this to be another excellent entry in Welch's series, and look forward (with a little bit of bittersweetness) to reading the final book featuring the Careys. show less

On his way home from his studies at Cambridge, young Robert Penderyn finds himself manipulated into a duel, and after inadvertently killing his opponent, is sent to sea by his stern uncle, James Penderyn. Serving as a lieutenant aboard the Swan, he learns seamanship, and has a number of adventures in Spain. Forced into a second duel, this time with an arrogant Spaniard, Robert makes a bitter enemy in Don Diego, and suffers as a consequence, when he falls into this aristocrat's hands later show more on. His path eventually takes him to London, where he makes a friend of Sir Antony Ladock, a relationship that will later involve him in an effort to foil a Spanish plot to rescue Mary, Queen of Scots, being held in captivity in Wales...

Originally published in 1971, The Galleon is the third of the Carey Family Chronicles, a loose collection of novels by British children's author Ronald Welch, all featuring members of the Carey family, in various capacities, and during various periods of history. As it happens, only the first of the series, Knight Crusader (1954), features a Carey (or rather, a Carey ancestor) fully. The other two—this and Bowman of Crécy—feature a secondary character from this family, but focus on another, unrelated hero. The order of this series, no doubt imposed on the books far after their publication, is in historical chronology, rather than publication order, making me wonder whether the author concentrated more on actual Carey family members, in titles published after Knight Crusader, but before these other two.

In any case, like its two predecessors, I found this an immensely engaging work of historical fiction, and entered immediately into the story. The adventure is gripping, and Robert himself makes for a sympathetic hero. Welch delves a little more deeply into his protagonist's interior world here, I think, than he did with the heroes of the two earlier books, sensitively capturing Robert's insecurities about his lack of wealth and status, in comparison to other gentry, but also depicting his courage, openminded interest in the world around him, and lack of snobbery, when it comes to those less fortunate than he. On the one hand, he mourns the lack of funds that would allow him to dress more as a gentleman, but on the other hand, when sent to sea in the Swan, he steadfastly resists trading on his relationship with his uncle, the ship's owner, when dealing with the rest of the crew. Engrossing and exciting, this was another Welch tale that kept me glued to the page, and I look forward to the next in the series! Recommended to middle grade readers and above who enjoy good historical fiction. show less