Letter of the week
Entente cordiale
I WAS heartened to see our King and Queen enjoy a warm reception from President Macron. It reminded me of a delightful story about my ancestor Maj-Gen Sir Lowry Cole.
Maj-Gen Cole was under the command of Wellington fighting the French in the Peninsular War. The Major-General’s much-loved dog, Dash, accompanied him, but, in the confusion of the British retreating from Guarda to the lines of Torres Vedras, Dash got lost and followed the scent back to the former British HQ, which was now occupied by the French. When they saw ‘G. L. Cole, Major-General’ on his collar, they took good care of him.
For several weeks, the British and French looked at each other
