A new book by Queensland author and historian, Tony Matthews, Cloaked in Bravery — a Rescue Mission Like No Other, takes us on a true and compelling adventure into the life-story of Mrs Christian Davies, one of the most remarkable women in military history who fought, disguised as a man, in two of Europe’s bloodiest wars.
Christian was probably in her early twenties when an aunt died, leaving her a tavern in Dublin. Soon afterwards she married one of her servants, a man named Richard Welsh. However, Welsh was later induced to take a bowl of punch aboard a ship laden with recruits for the armies being formed in the Low Countries for the Nine Years War. He became intoxicated and was carried to Holland where he had little choice but to enlist in a regiment of foot.
Determined to find her missing husband, Christian Davies cut off her hair, dressed herself in her husband’s clothing, and, leaving behind her tavern and also her children, quickly enlisted as an ordinary foot-soldier under the name of Christopher Welsh. After being shipped to Holland she was soon afterwards involved in the Battle of Lauden where she was wounded.
A young woman later fell in love with Christian, believing her to be a man, and Christian, in an endeavour to protect the woman’s honour, was forced to fight a duel with a dragoon, inflicting such a severe wound that it was initially thought the dragoon would die. Christian was imprisoned over this event for a short period. After being discharged from her regiment she engaged in a regiment of dragoons, which later became the famous Royal Scots Greys, being present at the 1695 Siege of Namur.
After the war, Christian returned to Ireland — unknown and unrecognised — so much had she changed during the years she had spent under arms. Christian visited her children but being too poor to pay for their expenses she decided not to reveal herself to them.
When the War of the Spanish Succession broke out in 1701 Christian again enlisted in a final effort to find her lost husband. She rejoined her regiment and, over the following years, saw a great deal of action. During the second bloody attack at Schellenberg in July 1704 she was shot in her hip with a musket-ball. The ball was never extracted. After a period of convalescence she fought in the Battle of Blenheim and was later ordered to guard a batch of prisoners. At this time she accidentally came upon her husband whom she had not seen for years. However, by this time, Richard, who believed that he would never again be allowed to return to England, had found another woman, a Dutch lady to whom he had promised marriage. Christian forgave Richard and asked him not to reveal her identity; to say that she was his brother so that they could remain together.
All through the campaigns fought by the armies under the command of the English captain-general, John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, Christian Davies continued to hide her true identity so that she could remain protectively at her husband’s side. At Ramillies, in May 1706, she went through the thickest of the battle unharmed, but after the fight had ended a shell fell from a church steeple and exploded. A piece of shrapnel struck Christian in the back of her head, fracturing her skull. She was trepanned and suffered terribly for ten weeks. However, during the course of her operation her true gender was discovered and she was forced to admit to her remarkable subterfuge.
At the December 1708 Siege of Ghent Christian once again followed her husband during the thickest of the battles, as she did for many years afterwards. Sadly, Richard was killed during the ferocious battle of Malplaquet. When Christian heard the news she went in search of Richard’s body. She found a robber stripping Richard’s corpse and Christian fought him off. She then dug a grave and buried her husband’s remains. According to eyewitness accounts, she would have thrown herself into the grave had she not been prevented from doing so. Christian’s grief was so great that she tore flesh from her arms with her teeth.
Christian married twice more — once to another soldier who was also killed and on the third occasion to a soldier named Davies. After returning to England Queen Anne presented Christian with £50 and a pension of a shilling a day for life.
Christian died on 7 July, 1739 and was buried in the grounds of Chelsea Hospital, a detachment of soldiers firing a volley over her grave.
Christian Davies was a woman who entered a harsh soldiers’ world and fought with courage and honour. She feared nothing and would frequently expose herself to extreme danger by going to the aid of wounded comrades. Had she lived in more modern times she would, almost certainly, have been awarded a Victoria Cross. She was proud of her accomplishments and more especially proud of her strength and prodigious stamina which allowed her to live her life as the equal of any man during a time when both physical strength, and strength of character, were the fundamental cornerstones of self preservation.
Asked if it was difficult to research the life of a woman who has been dead for over 280 years author Tony Matthews told Noosa Today, “conducting this kind of personal research would have been almost impossible, but fortunately Christian wrote an account of her life which was published posthumously in 1740. A doctor who worked as a field surgeon during those times also later wrote an account of Christian’s life which was published in 1742.
“These two publications provided much of the personal information for my book,“ he said.
Asked if the issues that took place almost 300 years ago have any relevance today, Tony believes they are just as relevant to what is happening in the world today.
“The wars that were taking place at that time, and I’m talking specifically about the Nine Years War and the War of the Spanish Succession, had many similarities to today, including the fact that both wars could have altered the future of Europe dramatically in much the same way that the Russian/Ukraine War was, and is, the fulcrum upon which the future of Europe could turn,“ he said.
“Wars have changed dramatically since that time but people have not. The seemingly insatiable lust for personal power was as prevalent then as it is today and we can always learn much from the past to guide us through the issues of our modern age.“
Tony spent decades writing his book on Christian Davies. What was it that captured his imagination?
“Well, I think it was the intense love she maintained for her husband that really captured my attention,“ he said. “I was stunned and in awe of a woman who would literally give up everything, including her children and her business, to go off to find her husband who was stuck in the middle of two of the most dangerous and bloody wars ever fought on European soil. Christian was an awe-inspiring woman and she certainly inspired me to write this book.“
For those who love a true tale of free spirits, of courage and enterprise, then Christian Davies’ story is just such an adventure.
Cloaked in Bravery — a Rescue Mission Like No Other, and other titles by Tony Matthews may be found on the publishers website: www.bigskypublishing.com.au/tony-matthews/
Author’s website: drtonymatthews.weebly.com
