okay I’ve started the Battersby JFJ bio and am, simply, losing my entire mind

for context I spent the last like decade in British history of war academia for my sins + I genuinely thought I was rid of this type of biographer, who I have met personally about 8000 times! (hon. ment. to the one who pulled a live shell out of a trench wall right next to me)

like this kind of man and his forum buddies are the reason my dumb limp-wristed ass had any relevant technical detail in my PhD about early aviation and yet, at what cost

heterosexuality is wild

Battersby’s claims that Fitzjames’ mum must’ve been wealthy bc otherwise Gambier wouldn’t have been obliged to take care of him bc illegitimate.....I’m no heterosexual studies expert myself but I’ve heard people do sometimes like the whole having children thing, William.....

(speaking of illegitimate Royal Navy kids navigating class and race in mainland 18/19thc Britain, I’ve recently gotten obsessed with Dido Belle, who feels like not irrelevant here) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido_Elizabeth_Belle