This evening Paul Borrow-Longain attended an informative webinar hosted by The Friends of the
Lines of Torres Vedras entitled Wellington’s Surveyors and Map Makers in the Peninsular,
delivered by Dr John Peaty.

Dr John Peaty is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and of the Royal Geographical Society.
He holds a PhD and MA in War Studies from King’s College London. He is the International
Secretary of the British Commission for Military History, the Chair of the Templar Sub-
Committee of The Society for Army Historical Research, a Founder Member of the Royal Air
Force Historical Society, a Life Member of the Institute of Historical Research, a member of the
Royal United Services Institute and the Convenor of the Historical Military Mapping Group of
the British Cartographic Society.

He has published articles, chapters and essays and lectured widely on military history to both
specialist and non-specialist audiences, both in the UK and overseas. He is an inveterate
battlefield tourer. He works for the Ministry of Defence, where formerly he was with the Army
Historical Branch. He was closely involved in the British Army’s commemoration of the First
World War.

Given my interest in military history and the science of map making, the talk was extremely
engaging and highlighted how General The Duke of Wellington had access to very little
topographical information at the start of the campaign, and therefore the importance of this work.