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Fiddlers & Whores: The Memoirs of James Lowry, a Young Surgeon in Nelson's Mediterranean Fleet
Fiddlers & Whores: The Memoirs of James Lowry, a Young Surgeon in Nelson's Mediterranean Fleet
Fiddlers & Whores: The Memoirs of James Lowry, a Young Surgeon in Nelson's Mediterranean Fleet
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Fiddlers & Whores: The Memoirs of James Lowry, a Young Surgeon in Nelson's Mediterranean Fleet

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The frank and revealing memoirs of James Lowry, a young surgeon in Nelson's Mediterranean fleet 1797 to 1804.
This is his hand-written journal, never intended for publication, describing his rugged life afloat and fascinating (often erotic) adventures ashore.
As one reviewer wrote, it is a "fantastic primary [historical] source and is full of firsthand accounts of several conflicts in His Majesty's Navy. While he describes details of battles hitherto unknown or lost to legend, personal details give a fuller understanding of the period's culture and daily life. These things are priceless and most often lost [when] over edited or in fictional accounts of history."
Lowry, classically educated in Ireland, apparently went to sea for no better reason than to satisfy his sense of adventure. He experienced plenty of naval action from just after the battle of the Nile, but what seems to particularly engage his interest (and enthusiasm) was the relaxed sexual mores of Italian society. Intended only for the eyes of his younger brother in Ireland he recounts his land-based escapades with relish, and perhaps in rather more detail than then was proper.
In addition to his liaisons with lissome ladies, Lowry faced a number of life-and-death situations. Once, while calmly treating a wounded marine during a land battle a cannonball took off the head of a good friend right beside him, temporarily blinding Lowry with gore. During his enlistment he survived a terrifying shipwreck as well as an assassin's stiletto. He also had a guided tour of an Arab potentate's harem. All in all, quite a varied and interesting life.
The modern reader is fortunate to have Lowry's fascinating narrative and personal anecdotes that have remained hidden in the hands of his descendants for more than two centuries.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherBookBaby
Release dateNov 6, 2013
ISBN9780969588955
Fiddlers & Whores: The Memoirs of James Lowry, a Young Surgeon in Nelson's Mediterranean Fleet

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fiddlers and Whores: The Candid Memoirs of a Surgeon in Nelson's Fleet reprints James Lowry's reminiscences of his time during the Napoleonic Wars. Battles receive a passing notice, with Lowry's primary focus attending to life during shore leave, when he and other sailors encountered the various cultures around the Mediterranean Sea and in the Middle East and the women they met there. Lowry's literary and religious references to the locations he visited shed light on the cultural background of the English middling class of the period. Further, Lowry's focus on the ailments of the sailors and civilians, particularly the venereal diseases, illuminates the state of medicine in this era. Lowry lost his original diary in a shipwreck so this volume is a reconstruction from memory that he wrote for his brother's benefit, but it still represents the cultural significance of the Napoleonic Wars filtered through the lens of memory. Those familiar with the writings of C. S. Forester or Patrick O'Brian will find this especially entertaining. Lowry's rambling style and ability to jump miles in a single sentence might put off readers used to a more traditional narrative, but it reflects the literary styles of the period and grounds the reader in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fiddlers and Whores is a memoir written for his brother by a surgeon in Nelson's fleet between 1797 and 1804, eventually getting published in 2006. Having not been meant for contemporary publication it is thus much more revealing and candid than would otherwise be expected. It seems author James Lowry is much more interested in travelling and seeing the world than attending to wounded sailors as we get more of a detailed travelogue than we do of life on board. The customs and conventions of various peoples in and around the Mediterranean are described which is interesting in itself, however Lowry is much more interested in women than anything else. Thus we find ourselves in various houses of ill repute and given insights into the sexual mores of various countries. Usually to Lowry's surprise and delight these are much more relaxed than he is accustomed to at home. Along the way Lowry recounts many adventures, battles and episodes where his life is put in peril. Through these descriptions we can get a sense of the times - danger, brutality etc.

    It's an easy and fascinating 'from the horses mouth' read. People don't change much.

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Fiddlers & Whores - James Lowry

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