Max Poilu Posted 12 October , 2004 Share Posted 12 October , 2004 (edited) Not sure if we have done this? Anyway, ten seems too many and I cannot get it down to five (!) so what are your seven 'Desert Island' choices with a link to the Great War? Can be novels, guidebooks, technical - you decide. Mine in no particular order: 1. A Walk Round Plugstreet: Tony Spagnoly. (Wonderful memories of autumn walks in a deserted Plugstreet Wood). 2. Late In The Day: Ernest Raymond. (Delightful and little known story of an old soldier 'going back'). 3. All Quiet On The Western Front: Remarque. (No explanation needed). 4. Les Grenades Francaises/Allemandes/Anglaises De La Grande Guerre: Patrice Delhomme. (Definitive work on my favourite collectibles). 5. Riding the Retreat - Mons to the Marne Revisited: Richard Holmes (Marvellous retracing of the route by Holmes and his trusty steed 'Thatch'). 6. Battlefield Archeology: John Laffin. (Loose use of the term 'archeology' but fascinating reading for those interested in Great War battlefield relics). 7. Before Endeavours Fade: (Rose Coombes). (Really kicked off my interest in the Great War). Well, those are mine and they could well be different in a week's time - it is so difficult to choose. (Oh...just realised I left out 'Wheras I Was Blind' by Ian Fraser - inspirational story of a blinded 14 - 18 officer rising through St Dunstans and becoming an MP. Should have made it eight ) Edited 12 October , 2004 by Giles Poilu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desmond7 Posted 12 October , 2004 Share Posted 12 October , 2004 Given my interest in WW1 is very much centred on 'human interest', I'd choose:- First Day on the Somme - Middlebrook Forgotten Voices - Max Arthur The Road to the Somme - Philip Orr Voices and Images of the Great War - Lyn Macdonald The Face of Battle - Keegan (for the relevant chapter) Facing Armageddon - collection of essays The Times 1914-18 - to read over my desert island breakfast table every day. I would love to have a long, long holiday in which I could compare the 14-18 'PR' with the reality! and/or Purnell's 'Great War' magazine collection - all crisp and clear, no dog eared pages. Sigh. If I had to choose one it would be Middlebrook. Room for two? Facing Armageddon so I could argue myself to sleep. Des Nice thread BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrB Posted 12 October , 2004 Share Posted 12 October , 2004 This thread is a good'un.... 1. Morale, Baynes 2. Defeat at Gallopoli, Steel and Hart 3. Marching to Armageddon, Morton and Granatstein (Sorry but equal time to the ANZAC's: Pozieres, Charlton) 4.The Kaiser's Battle, Middlebrook 5.The Doughboys, Stallings 6. Facing Armageddon, Ed by Cecil and Liddle 7. Somme, McDonald No particular order or love, just good reading! DrB PS...Lord knows we can't forget the latest bible: Tommy, Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bonza Posted 12 October , 2004 Share Posted 12 October , 2004 1 The Desert Column Ion L Idriess 2 Anzac To Amiens Cew Bean 3 The Long Ride Some Bloke from W.A 4 Diary of an Unknown Aviator 5 History of 7 Bn AIF Dean & Gutterige 6Sand Sweat Camels Langley 7 Liam's War I live on a Desert Island Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will O'Brien Posted 12 October , 2004 Share Posted 12 October , 2004 O.K my current top 7 (which is subject to change every couple of months or so & probably different to the last time this type of question was posted) is in no particular order. 'Shot at Dawn' - Julian Putkowski & Julian Sykes - whether you agree with the SAD campaign or not I find this book the most comprehensive available. 'Eye Deep in Hell' - John Ellis - I like his style of writing 'A Foreign Field' - Ben MacIntyre - the fascinating story about Robert Digby & his comrades who were cut off & left hiding behind German lines 'Death's Men' - Denis Winter - a coarse, no frills book..........I'm not really a fan of Denis Winter but I do like this book 'The Romanovs The Final Chapter - Robert K. Massie - Although not directly Great War, certainly Great War related......a tragic story 'Forgotten Victory' - Gary Sheffield - I believe one of the best books written in the last few years. It also nails a few of the Great War lies. 'Fort Douaumont Verdun' - Christina Holstein - In my list for a number of reasons. Firstly it's a damn fine read. Secondly Christina is the most knowledgeable person I have ever met on the subject of Fort Douaumont & Verdun & this knowledge is reflected in her book. Thirdly it reminds me of the wonderful Pals tour to Verdun in April 04 & lastly it’s the only book I've ever owned which has been signed by the author Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted 13 October , 2004 Share Posted 13 October , 2004 Some of my favourites: 1. Vimy by Pierre Berton (Canadian bias but I love it) 2. The Mons Star by David Ascoli (got me hooked on collecting 1914 BEF groups) 3. First Day on the Somme (no explanation required) 4. Welcome to Flanders Fields by Daniel Dancocks (2nd Ypres) 5. The History of the 16th Battalion (The Canadian Scottish) in the Great War 1914-1919 by H.M.Urquhart,DSO,MC (for a medal collector this is a wonderful regimental history; complete nominal rolls give all key details on every man who served in this fine unit.I have founds some nice buys on ebay because of this book) 6. 1914 by Lyn MacDonald (popular history) 7. To Seize The Victory by John Swettenham (Canadian Corps) Anyone looking at my list can quickly see that it is slanted towards by two great interests in WW1 - the BEF in 1914 and the CEF 1914-1918. Also, Berton, MacDonald, and Dancocks are popular historians as opposed to the heavier variety, but that is fine too. And finally (how could I forget?), a book I use many times a week as the ultimate CEF casualty research tool - Ted Wigney's CEF Roll of Honour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike10764 Posted 13 October , 2004 Share Posted 13 October , 2004 Mine are:- 1) Some Desperate Glory by Edwin Campion Vaughan 2) Tickled to Death to Go by Richard Van Emden- the story of Trooper Ben Clouting. 3) 1915 by Lyn MacDonald-a less popular, but strangely fascinating year. 4)With a Machine Gun to Cambrai by George Coppard 5) Her Privates We by Frederick Manning- a novel, but what a novel. 6) Verdun by Malcolm Brown- the French suffered too, sometimes we lose sight of that. 7) Voices of Gallipoli by Maurice Shadbolt- raw and accusing tale of the other theatre of 1915. Memoirs are my favorite, but there are many and varied books I could have also included here, so many books, I suspect my desert island would be have to include a library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted 13 October , 2004 Share Posted 13 October , 2004 3 The Long Ride Some Bloke from W.A Pat Henry Bostock wrote 'The Long Ride'. He was a 10th Light Horse scout. My top 7 in no particular order To The Last Ridge - WH Downing Gallipoli Mission - CEW Bean The Desert Column - Ion Idriess Dont Forget Me Cobber - Peter Corfield Hells, Bells & Madamoiselles - J Maxwell Legs Eleven - The history of the 11th Battalion AIF Iron in the Fire - Edgar Morrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 13 October , 2004 Share Posted 13 October , 2004 Much too difficult a choice! 'All Quiet on the Western Front' Erich Remarque 'Undertones of War' Edmund Blunden 'There's a Devil in the Drum' John Lucy 'Kaiser's Battle' Martin Middlebrook 'Other Ranks of Kut' P. W. Long 'Trench Fever' Christopher Moore 'Unknown Warriors' Kate Luard 'The First Hundred Thousand' Ian Hay I know that's number eight, but the 7th [service] Battalion, Bruce and Wallace Highlanders always brighten a dull day - long live Bobby Little and Pte. Muckelwame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawson Posted 13 October , 2004 Share Posted 13 October , 2004 OK, here goes. My top seven are. 1. Some desperate glory by Edwin Campion Vaughan. 2. War letters to a wife by Rowland Fielding. 3. Old soldiers never die by Frank Richards. 4.Twelve days by Sidney Rogerson. 5. Johnny get your gun by John F Tucker. 6. My bit by George Ashurst. 7. The first day on the Somme by Martin Middlebrook. And my Favourite book of the second world war is The railway man by Eric Lomax. Ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Saunders Posted 13 October , 2004 Share Posted 13 October , 2004 OK lets think about this ... OLD SOLDIERS NEVER DIE, the David Langley version of Frank Richard's epic ... GALLIPOLI AS I SAW IT by the legendary Joe Murray ... McCUDDEN VC by Christopher Cole and HIGH IN THE EMPTY BLUE by Alex Revell. Carlyon's GALLIPOLI, Terry Norman's THE HELL THEY CALLED HIGH WOOD and SON'S OF THIS PLACE by err Signals (still in draft version). Although these choices might well change tomorrow ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted 13 October , 2004 Share Posted 13 October , 2004 Ok, 7 titles from a long list........... All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Remarque Before Endevours Fade - Rose Coombs First Day on the Somme - Martin Middlebrook The Great War - Marc Ferro The Price of Glory - Alistair Horne Gallipoli - Alan Moorehead Tommy - Richard Holmes Aye Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bonza Posted 13 October , 2004 Share Posted 13 October , 2004 How far down the list would Compton Mackenzie be, please Malcolm Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bonza Posted 14 October , 2004 Share Posted 14 October , 2004 Andrew Thanks. Couldn't you squeeze the book into your list? One thing I 'sat on' under another thread, was Mr Bostock's comments on being given the job of tour guide to Hurley & Co. Bostock's camera, film etc had been confiscated, but he seemed to recognise particular scenes in the "Official Collection" later on. He made no direct accusations, but........ ooRoo Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted 14 October , 2004 Share Posted 14 October , 2004 Hi Pat Hmmm, Hurley wasn't the most popular bloke around was he. Damien Parer didn't seem to see eye to eye with him either in WW2. It must be around 10 years since I've read The Long Ride so will have to familiarise myself with it again, even one of my old favourites Bill Gammage's 'The Broken Years' just missed out. Cheers Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bonza Posted 14 October , 2004 Share Posted 14 October , 2004 Andrew Do yourself a favour, its worth a re-read. I often browse "Broken Years" but have never actually read it. The frontspiece hits a nerve Adieu, the years are a broken song, And the right grows weak in the strife with wrong, The lillies of love have a crimson stain, And the old days never will come again. From the diary of an Australian soldier, September 1917 ooRoo Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borden Battery Posted 14 October , 2004 Share Posted 14 October , 2004 When Your Numbers Up - The Canadian Soldier in the First World War Desmond Morton, Random House of Canada (1993) The Journal of Private Fraser - Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1918 CEF Books, Edited by Reginald Roy, (1998) T. E. Lawrence - In Arabia and After Liddell Hart, Academy Books, (1935) No Place to Run - The Canadian Corps and Gas Warfare in the First World War Tim Cook, UBC Press (1999) Paris 1919 Margaret MacMillan, Random House, (2003) Passchendaele - The Sacrificial Ground Nigel Steel and Peter Hart, Cassel Military Paperbacks (2000) Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War - Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914-1919, Colonel G. W. L. Nicholson, C.D. , Army Historical Section Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted 14 October , 2004 Share Posted 14 October , 2004 The frontspiece hits a nerve Adieu, the years are a broken song, And the right grows weak in the strife with wrong, The lillies of love have a crimson stain, And the old days never will come again. From the diary of an Australian soldier, September 1917 ooRoo Pat It gets me to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Saunders Posted 14 October , 2004 Share Posted 14 October , 2004 When Your Numbers Up - The Canadian Soldier in the First World War Desmond Morton, Random House of Canada (1993) The Journal of Private Fraser - Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1918 CEF Books, Edited by Reginald Roy, (1998) T. E. Lawrence - In Arabia and After Liddell Hart, Academy Books, (1935) No Place to Run - The Canadian Corps and Gas Warfare in the First World War Tim Cook, UBC Press (1999) Paris 1919 Margaret MacMillan, Random House, (2003) Passchendaele - The Sacrificial Ground Nigel Steel and Peter Hart, Cassel Military Paperbacks (2000) Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War - Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914-1919, Colonel G. W. L. Nicholson, C.D. , Army Historical Section Slightly further down on my list was the LETTERS OF AGAR ADMASON who served with the PATS - if you are not familiar with this, I think you would enjoy the read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted 14 October , 2004 Share Posted 14 October , 2004 How far down the list would Compton Mackenzie be, please Malcolm Pat Below John North . Aye Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bonza Posted 14 October , 2004 Share Posted 14 October , 2004 Touche! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bonza Posted 15 October , 2004 Share Posted 15 October , 2004 Malcolm. Funny thing about MYTHS, they just won't go away! Particularly those getting an airing in September 03. Sincerely hope that Nevison & "The Dardanelles Campaign" have not been demoted to a ranking somewhere lower than Compton in light of any revisionist considerations. ooRoo Pat I would like to think that Alick would not mind someone from the home side going in to bat so persistently Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike10764 Posted 15 October , 2004 Share Posted 15 October , 2004 5. Johnny get your gun by John F Tucker. I want 8 -to include this one- please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Dixon Posted 15 October , 2004 Share Posted 15 October , 2004 All Quiet on the Western Front, Remarque Her Privates We Tommy by Richard Holmes The First day on the Somme, Middlebrook Vimy, Berton Goodbye to all that, Graves I'd probably have to take the complete De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 15 October , 2004 Share Posted 15 October , 2004 A Testament of Youth - Vera Brittain With a Machine to Cambrai - George Coppold MM Terriers in the Trenches - Charles Messenger Tommy - Richard Holmes Eye Deep in Hell - can't remember at the moment Walking the Somme - Paul Reed Voices of the Great War - Max Arthur First Day of the Somme - MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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