Dust Jacket Collector Posted 18 November , 2014 Share Posted 18 November , 2014 An old library copy of 'Diary of a Dead Officer', has arrived in the post today after seeing you mention it above. Even more exciting to me, on the 'Want List' for ever, 'The Winding Road Unfolds' 1937 edition was purchased off ABE today at a reasonable price! The copies that have been on there for years at £300+ are way out of my range. I saw that earlier today. Quite a bargain, glad it went to a good home. You'll enjoy it, it's a fine book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Maria Posted 18 November , 2014 Share Posted 18 November , 2014 An old library copy of 'Diary of a Dead Officer', has arrived in the post today after seeing you mention it above. Even more exciting to me, on the 'Want List' for ever, 'The Winding Road Unfolds' 1937 edition was purchased off ABE today at a reasonable price! The copies that have been on there for years at £300+ are way out of my range. Congratulations, it's a great feeling when you find that elusive memoir and at a reasonable price. I'm surprised it has not been reprinted since 1965, it's one of my favourites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Scorer Posted 19 November , 2014 Share Posted 19 November , 2014 I have just finished reading "Nothing of Importance, a Record of Eight Months at the Front with a Welsh Battalion" by Bernard Adams. Someone, either on this thread or another on the forum, recommended it saying that it was his favourite WW1 memoir. Adams survived his eight months (Oct 1915 to June 1916 at the Somme), and was recovering from a bullet through his left arm when he wrote it back in Kent, listening to the soft rumble of guns on the wind from over the channel. Going back out to France in January 1917, he was fatally wounded on Feb 26th. The book is poignant on that account, and, written and published whilst the war was still being waged, is blissfully free from the dull hindsight that makes some authors of memoirs written a decade or more after the war, start to sound like pub-bores with their well-worn rants about futility and Haig's butchery. It is genuinely well-written, and he often has a witty turn of phrase which makes one smile - whilst transporting the battalion by train: "the men were in those useful adaptable carriages inscribed 'Chevaux 10. Hommes 30.' Our Tommies were evidently a kind of centaur class, for they went in by twenties". He was a quiet, clever man, and this book leads one to think that he may have become a great writer, or great at something, had he survived the war. At £10.47 for a 308 page paperback, on Amazon (Here), it isn't particularly cheap, but it is a wonderful book. William I've just finished reading this, and I'd agree with everything that William has said. I think that it's the first autobiography that I've read that was written during the war by someone who didn't survive the war. It's all the more special because of that, as I had to keep reminding myself that the book was written during the war and that he didn't survive it. I found the last chapter ("Conclusion") quite hard to read knowing this. It's quite different to much of the rest of the book, and I wonder whether his feelings whilst writing the book affected what happened to him after he went back to the Front? Not knowing how he died, I don't know whether this is true, but I think that, for me, it's an unanswered question. I'd fully recommend it to anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dust Jacket Collector Posted 19 November , 2014 Share Posted 19 November , 2014 It was good to see Bernard Adams featuring prominently in the recent BBC program 'War of Words. Soldier Poets of the Somme'. Hopefully now he'll start to get the recognition he deserves - maybe even a reprint of this fine book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barkalotloudly Posted 19 November , 2014 Share Posted 19 November , 2014 "The winding road unfolds" very well written and one of the best reads [in my very humble opinion} along with "Those we loved" by Read oh and "Salute of Guns" by Boyd, My book of letters arrived today {cameron officer} just awaiting the very scarce Australian nursing memoir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgranger Posted 19 November , 2014 Share Posted 19 November , 2014 It was good to see Bernard Adams featuring prominently in the recent BBC program 'War of Words. Soldier Poets of the Somme'. Hopefully now he'll start to get the recognition he deserves - maybe even a reprint of this fine book. Naval & Military Press are offering their 2001 reprint at £5.99 paperback, plus postage. They'll supply it in hardback for an additional £34. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgranger Posted 19 November , 2014 Share Posted 19 November , 2014 Congratulations, it's a great feeling when you find that elusive memoir and at a reasonable price. I'm surprised it has not been reprinted since 1965, it's one of my favourites. Re 'The Winding Road Unfolds' I've got a 1972 reprint, under the title 'Rage of Battle' from Tandem. A quick look at ABE Books shows this version as more common and a bit cheaper than the original title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Maria Posted 19 November , 2014 Share Posted 19 November , 2014 Re 'The Winding Road Unfolds' I've got a 1972 reprint, under the title 'Rage of Battle' from Tandem. A quick look at ABE Books shows this version as more common and a bit cheaper than the original title. Very interesting, I never realised they re-issued it under a different title and like you say it's quite a lot cheaper than the 1965 reprint . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgranger Posted 19 November , 2014 Share Posted 19 November , 2014 It's an interesting one. I can't, off the top of my head, think of any other memoir reprinted under a different title. Tandem seem to have chosen a more gritty title, and the cover illustration is Commando crossed with Charley's War, which they presumably hoped would make for better sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Maria Posted 19 November , 2014 Share Posted 19 November , 2014 It's an interesting one. I can't, off the top of my head, think of any other memoir reprinted under a different title. Tandem seem to have chosen a more gritty title, and the cover illustration is Commando crossed with Charley's War, which they presumably hoped would make for better sales. I notice that Pen & Sword have started to reprint memoirs under different titles e.g. 'In Battle & captivity' is a reprint of ' Englishman Kamerad !' by Gilbert Nobbs (1918), which was published in the U.S under the title ' On the Right of the British Line', all very confusing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgranger Posted 19 November , 2014 Share Posted 19 November , 2014 We shall have to keep our wits about us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barkalotloudly Posted 20 November , 2014 Share Posted 20 November , 2014 Derek the book is titled "On Active Service letters of the late Captain W S B Wilson of the 6th Cameronians " no date /place of printing consisting of his letters 1917-1918 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Black Posted 20 November , 2014 Share Posted 20 November , 2014 Thanks for that, I'm always on the look out for Scottish regiment memoirs to add to the list, even when unlikely ever to be affordable! Cheers,Derek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardenerbill Posted 21 November , 2014 Share Posted 21 November , 2014 I have just acquired a signed first edition with dust cover of 'Long 'un: A Damn Bad Soldier' by Bernard Livermore from Abebooks for just £13 inc P&P havn't read it yet but will post a comment once I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
German IR 169 Posted 23 November , 2014 Share Posted 23 November , 2014 If you are interested in checking out the German side of the trenches, I recently published a book "Imperial Germany's 'Iron Regiment' of the First World War." A large portion of the book is based on first person accounts. I recently posted additional information in the book page. I see your post has generated some great suggestions and a number of books I would be interested in as well. Regards, John Rieth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
other ranker Posted 25 November , 2014 Share Posted 25 November , 2014 I have been working my way through 'The Airman's Bookshelf' from the John Hamilton series. All the foreign accounts are translated by Claud W Sykes. Does anyone know anything about this chap? Was he an airman himself? All the books are easy reads and have a similar 'feel' to them. Is this down to Sykes's interpretation style, or did all airman talk like this? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simond9x Posted 18 March , 2016 Share Posted 18 March , 2016 I also love reading first-person memoirs. I consolidated all the above titles into a single list so I can mark off ones that I've read and chase down the others. In case it's of use to anyone else, here's the list............. Adams, John Bernard Pye - Nothing of Importance Aitken, Alexander Craig - Gallipoli to the Somme: Recollections of a New Zealand Infantryman Andrews, William Linton - Haunting Years Arnold, Charles - From Mons to Messines and Beyond : The Great War Experiences of Sgt C.Arnold Ashurst, George - My Bit: A Lancashire Fusilier at War 1914-18 Bairnsfather, Bruce - Bullets & Billets Barton, E.C. - Let the Boy Win His Spurs Bartram, Capt. H.B. - Diary of the Retirement from Mons August 1914 Baynes, John & Maclean, Hugh - A Tale of Two Captains (Barnes and Brotherton) Beaumont, Harry Walter - Old Contemptible: A Personal Narrative Begg, R. Campbell - Surgery on Trestles Behrend, Arthur - As From Kemmel Hill Behrend, Arthur - Make me a Soldier: A Platoon Commander at Gallipoli Bickersteth, John - The Bickersteth Diaries 1914-19 Bird, Will - Ghosts Have Warm Hands Black, E.G. - I Want One Volunteer Bluett , Antony - A Gunner's Crusade: The Campaign in the Desert, Palestine & Syria Blundon, Edmund - Undertones of War Boyd, Donald - Salute of Guns Bruckshaw, Horace (ed. M.Middlebrook) - The Diaries of Horace Bruckshaw 1915-1916 Burder, Rev. C. V. - Hell on Earth Burgoyne, Gerald Achilles - The Burgoyne Diaries Burns, Robert - Once a Cameron Highlander, Recollections of a First World War Veteran Byrne, Charlie (ed. Joy Cave) - I Survived Didn't I? Great War Reminiscences of Pte Ginger Byrne Campbell, Paul J. - In the Cannon's mouth Campbell, Paul J. - The Ebb and Flow of Battle Cannan, May Wedderburn - Grey Ghosts and Voices Carpenter, Alfred - Blocking of Zeebrugge Carr, William - Time to Leave the Ploughshares: A Gunner Remember Carrington, Charles - Soldier from the War Returning Carrington, Charles (alias Charles Edmonds) - A Subaltern's War Carstairs, Carroll - A Generation Missing Chapman, Guy - A Passionate Prodigality Clapham, Henry S. - Mud and Khaki Clayton, C.P. - The Hungry One Cliff, Norman D. - To Hell and Back with the Guards Collins, Norman - Last Man Standing Congreve, Billy (ed. Terry Norman) - Armageddon Road: A VC's Diary Cooper, Matthew - Memoirs of an Infantry Officer (expanded version of 'We Who Knew') Cooper, Matthew - We Who Knew: The Journal of an Infantry Subaltern during the Great War Copp, Michael (ed) - From Emmanuel to the Somme, The War Writings of A.E. Tomlinson Coppard, George - With a machine gun to Cambrai Craster, J.M. - Fifteen Rounds a Minute: The Grenadiers at War Crozier, Frank - A Brasshat in No Man's Land Cuddeford, D.W.J. - And All For What? Cusack, John & Herbert, Ivor - Scarlet Fever : A Lifetime with Horses Daerden, Harold - Medicine and Duty Dalton, Hugh - With the British Guns in Italy Davson, Lt. Col. H.M. - Memoirs of the Great War Dennis, Gerald - A Kitchener Man's Bit In the Great War Desagneaux, Henri - A French Soldier's War Diary 1914-1918 Doudney, Charles E. - The Best of Good Fellows: Diaries and Memoirs of The Rev C.E.D. 1871-1915 Douie, Charles - The Weary Road Downing, Walter - To The Last Ridge Duffell, W.J. (ed. Gilbert Mant) - Soldier Boy: Letters and memoir of Gunner W.J Duffell 1915-18 Dunham, Frank - The Long Carry Dunn, Capt. J.C. - The War the Infantry Knew Eberle, V.F. - My Sapper Venture Edmunds, Charles (see Carrington, Charles) Ellison, Norman - Remembrances of Hell Empson, C.C. - Empson's War: A Collection of Letters Eyre, Giles E.M. - Somme Harvest: Memories of a P.B.I. in the Summer of 1916 Feilding, Rowland - War Letters to a Wife Fraser, Donald - Journal of Private Fraser Fraser, William - In Good Company: WW1 Diary of Hon William Fraser, Gordon Highlanders, Fraser-Tytler , Neil - Field Guns in France French, A. - Gone for a Soldier Gaunt, F. - The Immortal First Gibbs, A. Hamilton - Gun Fodder: The Diary of Four Years of War Giffard, Sydney - Guns, Kites and Horses: Three Diaries from the Western Front Gladden, Edgar Norman - The Somme Gladden, Edgar Norman - Ypres 1917 Gladden, Norman - Across The Piave Gladden, Norman - The Somme Glubb, John - Into Battle Goodsall, Robert - Palestine Memories 1917-1918-1925 Gordon, Huntly - The Unreturning Army Graves, Robert - Goodbye to All That Greenwell, Graham - An Infant in Arms Griffith, Llewelyn Wyn - Up to Mametz (And Beyond) Grimshaw, Roly - Indian Cavalry Officer 1914-1915 Groom, W.H.A - Poor Bloody Infantry: Memoir of the First World War Guinness, Walter - Staff Officer, The Diaries of Lord Moyne 1914-18 Hale, Alfred Matthew - The Ordeal of Alfred M. Hale : The Memoirs of a Soldier Servant Hall, Gilbert (ed. Turner & Haigh) - Not for Glory: A Personal History of the 14-18 War Hamilton, Charles S.P. - East, West: An Irish Doctor's Memories Hamilton, Ralph - War Diary Of The Master Of Belhaven 1914-1918 Hanbury-Sparrow, Arthur Alan - The Land-Locked Lake Hawkins, Frank - From Ypres to Cambrai Haworth, C. - March to Armistice 1918 Herbert, Ivor (see Cusack, John) Hiscock, Eric - The Bells of Hell go Ting a Ling a Ling Hitchcock, Capt. F.C. - Stand To! A Diary Of The Trenches 1915-1918 Holme, Archibald - The Diary of a World War One Cavalry Officer Hope, Thomas Suthren - The Winding Road Unfolds Howcroft, Gilbert Burdett - The First World War 1914-18 Remembered by a Yorkshire Territorial Hulse, Edward - Letters Written From The English Front In France September 1914 To March 1915 Husbands, Geoffrey Ratcliff - Joffrey's War: A Sherwood Forester in the Great War Ingram, Monty - In Flanders Fields : The WW1 diary of Private M. Ingram Jack, J.L. (ed. John Terraine) - General Jack's Diaries 1914-1918 Jackson, John - Private 12768 Joynt, William D. - Saving the Channel Ports 1918 Junger, Ernst - Storm of Steel Lambert, Arthur - Over The Top Law, Francis - A Man at Arms, Memoirs of Two World Wars Lawrence, Brian - Letters from the Front: Great War correspondence of Lt. B. Lawrence 1916-17 Lawrence, Cyril (ed. Peter Yule) - Sergeant Lawrence Goes To France Lawrence, Cyril (ed. R. East) - The Gallipoli Diary of Sergeant Lawrence Lawson, Henry - Recollections of an Infantry Subaltern in France & Belgium 1917-18 Livermore, Bernard - Long Un: A Damn Bad Soldier Long, Bernard (ed. V.A. Hawgood) - The 1WW Letters of 2nd Lt Bernard Wilfred Long 1896-1917 Lucy, John F. - There's a Devil in the Drum Lushington, Frank (alias Mark Severn) - The Gambardier Lynch, Edward P.F. - Somme Mud Mackie, John H.F. - Answering The Call: Letters From 2/4Th Bn. Somerset Light Infantry 1914-1919 Maclean, Hugh (see Baynes, John) Macleod, Col. R. - An Artillery Officer in the First World War Malthus, Cecil - ANZAC: a retrospective Manning, Frederic - Her Privates We / The Middle Parts of Fortune Marks, Thomas Penrose - The Laughter Goes from Life: In the Trenches of the First World War Martin, Bernard - Poor Bloody Infantry Maxwell, R.M. - Villiers-Stuart Goes To War May, E. - Signal Corporal, The Story of the 2nd London Irish Rifles Maze, Paul - A Frenchman in Khaki McGill, Patrick - Red Horizon McGill, Patrick - The Great Push Mellersh, Howard Edward Leslie - Schoolboy Into War Moberly , Gertrude - Experiences of a "Dinki Di" R.R.C. Nurse Nash, Thomas Anthony Havelock - The Diary of an Unprofessional Soldier Nettleton, John - The Anger of the Guns Nevill, Wilfred (ed. Ruth Elwin Harris) - Billie, the Nevill Letters 1914-16 Newton, Walt - The Soul of The Camp Nichols, G.H.F. - Pushed and the Return Push (by 'Quex') Noakes, Frederick - The Distant Drum Nobbs, Gilbert - On the Right of the British Line Nott, Lewis - Somewhere in France : The Collected Letters of Lewis Windermere Nott Ogle, Henry (ed. Michael Glover) - The Fateful Battle Line: Great War Journal & Sketches Page Croft, Henry - Twenty Two Months Under Fire Paish, Frank Walter - War as a Temporary Occupation: First World War Memoirs of a 2nd Lt Parker, Ernest - Into Battle: A Seventeen Year Old Joins Kitchener's Army Parker, George - The Tale of a Boy Soldier Pinkerton, Douglas - Ladies from Hell Plowman, Maz - A Subaltern on the Somme Portway, Donald - Memoirs of an Academic Old Contemptible Probert, Ynyr - Memoirs of an Artillery Officer 1915-1918 Ravenscroft, P.D. (ed. Antony Bird) - Unversed in Arms: The First World War Diary of P.D Ravenscroft Read, Dick - Of Those We Loved: A Narrative 1914-1919 Reith, John - Wearing Spurs Richards, Frank - Old Soldiers Never Die Rogerson, Sidney - Last of the Ebb Rogerson, Sidney - Twelve Days on the Somme Rose, C.A. - Three Years in France with the Guns Roynon, Gavin - Massacre of the Innocents: The Crofton Diaries, Ypres 1914-1915 Russell, Arthur - Machine Gunner Russell, Henry - Slaves of the War Lords Sassoon, Siegfried - Memoirs of an Infantry Officer Seely, Gen. Jack - Warrior - The Amazing Story of a Real War Horse Seton-Hutchison, Graham - Footslogger Seton-Hutchison, Graham - Warrior Severn, Mark (see Lushington, Frank) Shephard, Ernest - A Sergeant - Major's War, from Hill 60 to the Somme Siepmann, Harry - Echo of the Guns: Recollections of an Artillery Officer 1914-18 Slack, Cecil M. - Grandfather's Adventures in the Great War Slater, Guy (ed.) - My Warrior Sons : The Borton Family Diary 1914-18 Smith, Aubrey - Four Years on the Western Front (by 'A Rifleman') Smith, K.P. - Adventures of an Ancient Warrior Smith, Len - Drawing Fire Spears, Edward Louis - The Picnic Basket Spicer, L.D. (ed? Robert York) Letters from France Steel, John Philip - A Memoir of Lt.-Col. Edward Anthony Steel Stewart, Cameron - An Unimportant Officer Stockwin, Arthur - Thirty-Odd Feet Below Belgium Stokes, Louis (ed. Barlow & Bowen) - A Dear and Noble Boy: Life and letters of L.S. 1897-1916 Stone, Christopher (ed. John Terraine) - From Vimy Ridge to the Somme, The Great War letters of... Stormont Gibbs, Charles Cobden - From Somme to Armistice: Memoirs of Capt Stormont-Gibbs Sulzbach, Herbert - With the German Guns: Four years on the Western Front Talbot Kelly, R.B. - A Subaltern's Odyssey: Memoirs of the Great War, 1915-1917 Taylor, F.A.J. ('Tanky') - The Bottom of the Barrel Tennant, Norman - A Saturday Night Soldiers War Thomas, Alan - A Life Apart Tilsley, William V. - Other Ranks Tilton, May - The Grey Battalion Trafford, Peter - Love & War: A London Terrier's Tale 1915-16 Tucker, John F. - Johnny Get Your Gun Tucker, William Albert - The Lousier War Turner, Frank - Turner's War Tyndale-Biscoe, Julian - Gunner Subalteran 1914-1918 Underhill, Edward Samuel - A Year on the Western Front Vanier, George (ed. D. Cowley) - Soldier: The Wartime Letters and Diaries, 1915-1919 Vaughan, Edwin Campion - Some Desperate Glory Walkinton, M.L. - Twice in a Lifetime Ward, James E. - Messages From The Trench, Diaries of L/Cpl J.E Ward Apr-Aug 1915 Warren, Frank (ed. Antony Bird) - Honour Satisfied: A Dorset Rifleman at War Watson, W.H.L. - Adventures of a Despatch Rider Westman, Stephan Kurt - A Surgeon with the Kaiser's Army Wheatley, Dennis - Officer and Temporary Gentleman White, Lt. A.P. - No Easy Hopes or Lies, WW1 Letters of Lt A.P White Wilson, Robert Adams - A Two Years Interlude France 1916-1918 Wolff, Anne (ed) - Subalterns of the Foot, Three WW1 Diaries of Officers of the Cheshire Regt Young, D. - Try Anything Twice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgranger Posted 18 March , 2016 Share Posted 18 March , 2016 You've been busy! One you might want to add - Deneys Reitz 'Trekking On'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamRev Posted 18 March , 2016 Author Share Posted 18 March , 2016 Simon That is a fantastic list, and at least half of the titles are new to me. I'd be fascinated to hear of any which haven't been mentioned on this thread, which you particularly recommend and which were written during, or immediately after, the war. [Works written a decade or more after the war sometimes tend to belong to the so-called Literature of Disenchantment, influenced by new and often negative interpretations of war, as a second World War seemed increasingly likely, and they become didactic and less reliable as primary sources.] William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simond9x Posted 18 March , 2016 Share Posted 18 March , 2016 Simon That is a fantastic list, and at least half of the titles are new to me. I'd be fascinated to hear of any which haven't been mentioned on this thread, which you particularly recommend and which were written during, or immediately after, the war. [Works written a decade or more after the war sometimes tend to belong to the so-called Literature of Disenchantment, influenced by new and often negative interpretations of war, as a second World War seemed increasingly likely, and they become didactic and less reliable as primary sources.] William Sorry, WilliamRev, that's not a list of books that I've read. All I did was take all the books that people had already listed in this topic (i.e. in earlier posts), and consolidate them into a single list. I've only read maybe 20-30 of them myself (so far!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ridgus Posted 18 March , 2016 Share Posted 18 March , 2016 I'm currently reading "Through Hell to Victory" by R A Colwill which doesn't appear on the list but just gets under your 10 year wire being published in 1927. It charts the 2nd Battalion of the Devons from 1917 to 1918. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamRev Posted 19 March , 2016 Author Share Posted 19 March , 2016 Sorry, WilliamRev, that's not a list of books that I've read. All I did was take all the books that people had already listed in this topic (i.e. in earlier posts), and consolidate them into a single list. I've only read maybe 20-30 of them myself (so far!) It's still very interesting, and gives me titles ot investigate. I was perhaps a little pompous and simplistic in declaring my ten year rule. But with later memoirs, one has to be careful: for example, in the otherwise excellent "With a Machine Gun to Cambrai" by George Coppard, the author occasionally lapses into little rants about generals etc. which strike a different note from that found in contemporary literature, and reveal that the book was written in the 1960s. William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamRev Posted 19 March , 2016 Author Share Posted 19 March , 2016 You've been busy! One you might want to add - Deneys Reitz 'Trekking On'. This is a book that I have found excellent, covering as it does the 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers in the final few weeks of the war. There are several passages that refer to my grandfather (he took over command of 'D' Coy. after its commander had been gassed, until he himself temporarily lost his eyesight from gas a couple of days later - he was in Nettley Hospital for the next seven months), although alas he doesn't get mentioned by name. William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 19 March , 2016 Share Posted 19 March , 2016 Other Ranker's post 191 might perhaps be answered by David Fitsell of this forum ? He has investigated this man and his pseudonym Vigilant, eg on the Aerodrome Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
other ranker Posted 19 March , 2016 Share Posted 19 March , 2016 charlie962, Thanks for coming up with that link. It really is an intriguing story. Why all the cloak and dagger? Great research though. Cheers Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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