ADMIRAL: THOMAS KYDD 27

1814 Ashore on leave Captain Sir Thomas Kydd learns of a dismal harvest and general hardship among the population In Germany Napoleon Bonaparte is celebrating victories that once again make his name feared throughout Europe An armistice is signed and while the Allies lick their wounds Bonaparte sets to preparing for a grand advance And in a fragile peace and saddled with huge war debts the government has no choice but to place HMS Thunderer along with many other Royal Navy ships in reserve until the Navy can decide what to do with their great fleets Meanwhile Kydd is offered an admiral s flag but this is the West Africa station and the anti slavery operations set in fever ridden swamps Despite the obvious dangers and hardships Kydd sees this as the realisation of his life s ambition and readies for sea in his beloved Thunderer as his flagship In a turn of the tide Bonaparte is defeated by the Allies and exiled to the tiny island of Elba Then electrifying news breaks out the tyrant has escaped and is marching on Paris the citizens flocking to join him The British government as well is rocked by a realisation that Napoleon s invasion fleet is still in being and if the French navy declares for him they can sail from the ports now free of blockade a