The White Feather

George Alfred Henty (8 December 1832 – 16 November 1902) was an English novelist and war correspondent. He is most well-known for his works of adventure fiction and historical fiction including The Dragon & The Raven (1886) For The Temple (1888) Under Drakes Flag (1883) and In Freedoms Cause (1885). G. A. Henty was born in Trumpington near Cambridge but spent some of his childhood in Canterbury. He was a sickly child who had to spend long periods in bed. During his frequent illnesses he became an avid reader and developed a wide range of interests which he carried into adulthood. He attended Westminster School London as a half-boarder when he was fourteen  and later Gonville and Caius College Cambridge where he was a keen sportsman. He left the university early without completing his degree to volunteer for the Army Hospital Conveyance Corps when the Crimean War began. He was sent to the Crimea and while there he witnessed the appalling conditions under which the British soldier had to fight. His letters home were filled with vivid descriptions of what he saw. His father was impressed by his letters and sent them to the Morning Advertiser newspaper which printed them. This initial writing success was a factor in Hentys later decision to accept the offer to become a special correspondent the early name for journalists now better known as war correspondents.