| “ | You have orders? I command here! | „ |
| ~ Bartholomew Girdwood trying to assert himself over Sharpe during a takeover. |
Bartholomew Girdwood was an antagonist in the Sharpe series of novels by Bernard Cornwell and the television adaptation.
He was portrayed by Mark Lambert.
A fastidious man, he fancied himself another Frederick the Great of Prussia, and had a heavily styled moustache like King Frederick had. Having more political connections than actual skill or courage, Girdwood was commissioned as an officer in the British Army. Girdwood's connections - namely Henry Simmerson, kept him from suffering the consequences of actions which would have ended the careers of other men.
Due to Simmerson's efforts, Girdwood was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and placed in command of training for the South Essex Regiment. When Major Richard Sharpe and his Sergeant Major Patrick Harper infiltrated Girdwood's unit, they discovered that Girdwood and Simmerson were engaged in the practice of crimping - recruiting of men for one military unit while selling them off to other units for a profit. Sharpe placed Girdwood under arrest, but Girdwood managed to escape.
Girdwood's first taste of actual combat came at an engagement at the Pyrenees. The stresses of combat caused a complete mental breakdown, and Girdwood was shipped back to England.
Trivia[]
Throughout the film, Girdwood displays phobias of both dogs (following a boyhood incident where he was bitten by a mastiff; this drives him to kill a dog brought by one recruit) and Irish (following an incident when he was ambushed in Ireland early in his military career). This is somewhat ironic, as his actor, Mark Lambert, is Irish in real life.
