Clive Richards serendipitous journey to India brought forth a treasure that most Sharpe fans could only dream of.

Find out how one man’s passion for all things Naploeonic resulted in a collection fit for the

Raj himself.

Clive enjoying his 50th birthday at Gajendra’s home where one his staff dressed as a drummer kindly served him his birthday breakfast.

Wander around the battlefield of Waterloo and unless you have a distinct lack of imagination you will be moved by the memory of the men who fought and died in June 1815 during one of the bloodiest and most decisive battles in history.

That’s what I did in 1971 at the age of 15 when armed with a home made metal detector my father and I found musket balls and cannon chain which had lain undisturbed in the light brown Belgian clay for over 150 years.

That morning of the battle after a night of torrential rain this clay had so stained the uniforms of the soldiers that one famous British cavalry regiment dismissed some of its troopers at morning roll call as being unfit for parade.

As it stuck to our boots I could sympathise with the French guardsmen whose evening attack was so hampered as they marched past Hougoumont Farm towards the British Lines.

This experience for me started a lasting fascination for all things Napoleonic. Everyone reading this article will share this passion to one degree or another, and it will have been prompted by many and various things in their lives. But one shared influence will of course be the hugely enjoyable series of books by Bernard Cornwell which feature every boy’s hero and every girls dream Richard Sharpe of the 95th Foot. The Rifles.

My fascination extends to the study of tactics; uniforms, medals and the research of the men who were awarded them, the history of the regiments and of course the weapons. It was this fascination that led me to draw a picture of a flintlock musket on a piece of paper and tout it around every hotel owner, rickshaw driver and tour guide that I could find when I toured North West India as a 50th birthday treat. Being an optimist and knowing that the East India Company had been issued with exactly the same weapons as the British, I was convinced my hunt would yield something.

Clive in Jaipur where some of the filming for Sharpe’s Challenge took place.