'These Meritorious Objects of the Royal Bounty' SIGNED COPY / LIMITED EDITION

Signed copy. This book is a greatly expanded and enhanced treatment of a doctoral thesis tracing the origins of the concept of a government's 'Duty of Care to its soldiers. Renewed interest in the fate of such men was generated by the wars in the first decade of the 21st Century, but when did the concept arise and how was it dealt with? In England it can be traced back to the early 1680s when Charles II ordered the building of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, to receive old and invalid soldiers. On opening in 1692, however, it was found that there were more qualified recipients for this charity than there were beds to accommodate them. The Out-.