Napoleon on the Sands at Boulogne, France


This picture by Andrew Carrick Gow is evocative of the desire of Napoleon to cross the Channel and deal with the threat from Britain. Britain remained a constant thorn in his side for his plans of domination of Europe. He is reputed to have said "Let us be masters of the Channel for six hours and we are masters of the world." by which he meant that he just needed six hours to move his army from Boulogne to the beaches of South-East England. He believed that if he could meet the British army on the field of battle, he would quickly overrun and defeat them. However, they were protected by Britain's shield of wood; the Royal Navy.


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by Stephen Luscombe