There was a very good turn-out for the University of the Third Age’s monthly meeting to hear Ronnie Williams give his interpretation of ’The Real Count of Monte Cristo.’

However, Ronnie has an interesting history himself and had been in the diplomatic service from 1964 to 1979, serving in Jakarta, Singapore, Budapest and Nairobi.

He has also written many books, including the Montrose Cavalier in Mourning, The Lord of the Isles which portrayed the early Kingdom of the Scots, also Sons of Wolf with regard to the ’cleansing of Inland Glens.’

Ronnie’s background and his wealth of experience came through in his colourful account which took us from Normandy to the slaves of the West Indies. From there to Egypt, Paris and became immersed in the French Revolution. With fascinating coverage of how Napoleon and General Dumas conducted their conflicts.

General Alexandra Dumas was born in 1762 of mixed race to a slave mother and a white father.

He was taken to Paris by his father where he joined the French Army and rose through the ranks to become general.

A leader in the French Revolution, Dumas was known as the Black Devil and led over 50,000 white soldiers to victory.

He was a hard soldier and through victory ended slavery in France. However, Napoleon Bonaparte became jealous of Dumas during the battle over Egypt and had him thrown into a dungeon - there he had Dumas slowly poisoned! Napoleon returned the country to slavery and by the time Dumas was eventually released, France had been returned to turmoil and dictatorship. General Dumas died in 1806 - ’The real Count of Monte Cristo.’

Anybody interested in the U3A -

www.isleofman.com/u3a - Answer phone 801032

Jill Collins

U3A