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Barba del Puerco: A Tactical Engagement with Strategic Consequences

Evening Talk by Maj Gen Ashley Truluck CB CBE

📅 Thursday 17th April, 2025

🕒 18.30

📍 The Kincaid Gallery, The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum

Maj Gen Ashley Truluck explores Brigadier ‘Bob’ Craufurd’s strategic brilliance and the 95th Rifles’ pivotal night action at Barba del Puerco, showcasing a revolutionary shift in infantry tactics during the Peninsular War.

Over the winter of 1809/10, in the wake of the retreat from Talavera, Wellington tasked Brigadier ‘Bob’ Craufurd’s newly formed Light Division with providing a screen along the Spanish border while he reconstituted & re-trained the bulk of the Army within Portugal. What followed was a masterly demonstration of Craufurd’s ‘scientific approach’ to operational readiness – holding vastly superior French forces at bay. This was exemplified by the 95th Rifles’ night action at Barba del Puerco, where the rifle (as opposed to smooth-bore musket) demonstrated its utility as a battalion weapon despite its many sceptics – and led to a revolution in infantry tactics. In this fascinating evening talk, Ashley will give us an exciting blow-by-blow analysis of the action at Parba del Puerco based on photographs taken on location.

Ashley Truluck served with Gurkhas, Signals & Intelligence, and Army Aviation and has since acted as a Defence Advisor to Government, the Emergency Services and Industry. In ‘retirement’ he was appointed HM High Sheriff of Wiltshire. As Chairman of the Society for Army Historical Research and Consultant Historian with a number of historical tour companies, he has made a particular study of Wellington and the Light Division and has led many research trips and study tours for MOD (including several battalions of The Rifles) and civilian groups on these and other themes worldwide.

Doors open at 17.45 for light refreshments. Tickets are available on our online shop. Alternatively, they can be purchased over the phone from Monday to Friday between 10am and 4pm at 01962 828549.

If you’re unable to attend in the talk in person, you can also buy a ticket to watch the talk live online via Zoom. We will be able to take questions from Zoom during the Q&A section of the talk. If you wish to attend the talk via Zoom, simply select ‘Zoom’ under ticket price when checking out in our online shop. Serving Riflemen and RGJ Association members may claim free Zoom attendance by contacting the Museum directly.