[Great War] Autobiographies Anonymous

[WilliamRev]

I started this thread in Jan 2013, and i am so glad that it has a life of its own and trundles on intermittently. It was the nearest I got to starting a 'Classic Thread' (remember those?). I added dozens of memoirs and autobiographies to my bookshelves following recommendations in this thread - I am currently reading Sapper Martin, the diary of Sapper Jack Martin, edited by Richard van Emden. It was written day by day during the war by a highly articulate and intelligent man, and contains loads of new and interesting details.

 

William

[hazelclark]

Thank you so much for continuing this thread.

H.C.

[Marilyne]

15 hours ago, WilliamRev said:

- I am currently reading Sapper Martin, the diary of Sapper Jack Martin, edited by Richard van Emden. It was written day by day during the war by a highly articulate and intelligent man, and contains loads of new and interesting details.

 

William

 

Talk about having issues... reading your post I turned around to my sorry excuse for a WWI-book shelve (I know, need a bigger one, but for that I first need a bigger house...) , located said book on the shelve and came to the horrible realisation that there are no post-its sticking out, only the very empty notebook page I use as page marker and then return to by bibliography with comments... and the title is not even listed in my bibliography... euh... oh-kaaayyyyyy... when the heck did I buy this?? or received.??? well... on the pile it goes... 

 

M.

[WilliamRev]

I have just finished reading 'War Letters to a Wife, France and Flanders 1915-1919' by Rowland Fielding (London: The Medici Society, 1929). Fielding began the war as a company commander with 3rd and then 1st Coldstream Guards, becoming battalion commander of 6th Connaught Rangers, 16th (South Irish) Division, in early September 1916. He ended the war commanding the 1/15th London Regiment, Prince of Wales Own Civil Service Rifles (47th Division).

 

The great value of this memoir lies in the fact that it was written within the few days of the events it describes, and then posted to his wife in the form of a series of letters. After the war he edited it for publication, adding place names and other details that he was unable to put into the original letters for security reasons.There are vivid accounts of the Battle of Loos, the Battle of the Somme (and from his limited perspective as a spectator he describes 1 July 1916 as 'a wonderful day'). He gives a lengthy account of the panicky retreat on the Somme in the German Spring Offensive of 1918, and then in the final 100 Days successfully retaking the same territory.

 

This is one of the best First World War memoirs that I have come across, packed with interesting details: the edition I bought is HERE but click around on Amazon for paperback editions, second-hand copies and a kindle version (make sure that you always use the Forum money-raising link whenever you buy anything on Amazon, of course).

 

William

Edited 6 December , 2018 by WilliamRev

[Marilyne]

Hi all,

 

Considering that I'm working on my project on women who died on the Western Front right now, these being mainly nurses, I've added a few diaries and auto biographies of nurses on my reading list: Ruth COWEN's "A Nurse on the Western Front", being the diaries of Sister Edith Appleton; VAD Olive Dent's memoirs and Dorothea's Crewdson's "Dorothea's War": the story of a First World War nurse. 

 

Got my work cut out for me... 

 

M.

[MaureenE]

4 hours ago, Marilyne said:

I've added a few diaries and auto biographies of nurses on my reading list:

If you want  to read any additional autobiographies by nurses, there are a number online, see my previous post "Online books-accounts by nurses etc"

Cheers

Maureen

[Marilyne]

Thanks Maureen !!!!! 

 

 

[Uncle George]

A little-known (despite my efforts on this Forum and elsewhere) First war memoir is Charles Barry's 'Unsought Adventure' (1939). Barry (whose real name was Charles Bryson) served with the Imperial Russian Horse Artillery, and in the British Army in Russia. During a busy war he encountered (amongst many others) the Scottish Women's Hospital:

 

https://www.scottishwomenshospitals.co.uk/charles-bryson-his-time-with-the-scottish-womens-hospital-on-the-russian-front-by-kevin-ross/

 

 

 

[Black Maria]

There have been quite a few memoirs printed since the centenary , it's a bit of a minefield to know which ones are real memoirs

and which contain very little by the participant and a lot by the compiler / editor . One recent memoir that i really rate is 'We Were

a Band of Brothers ' : The memoir of Captain Philip Heath M.C and bar ' ( Brick Lane publishing 2017 ) . He joined the 1/23rd London

Regiment as an eighteen year old in 1914 and was later commissioned in to the 8th East Surrey , arriving in France in mid-1915 . He

went on to join 55th T.M.B and fought at the Somme and Passchendaele . In August 1918 he was suffering from shell shock and was

given a job with Brigade. He wrote down his memoirs in the 1950s and 60s , helped by his wartime diaries .

 

[WilliamRev]

I have just finished reading a memoir that I am sure is well-known to many forum pals: My Bit – A Lancashire Fusilier at War 1914-18 (Ramsbury: The Crowood Press, 1987) by George Ashurst, a working-class chap from Wigan who served as an NCO in the 1^st, 2^nd and 16^th battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers.

 

It was edited by the late Richard Holmes, who added just sufficient notes and comments to be helpful, but not enough to make the book seem deliberately ‘padded-out’ to please publishers, one of my pet peeves. The memoir was clearly written some years after the war, and Holmes points out that Ashurst makes a number of factual mistakes, getting certain events in the incorrect order, and getting other minor details wrong.

 

In the first chapter a teenage Ashurst threatens to shoot his abusive drunken father. After joining up he is soon an NCO, and gives an interesting account of Christmas Day 1914 in the front line: ‘Some of our boys tied up a sandbag and used it as a football, while a party of Germans enjoyed themselves sliding on a little frozen pond just in the rear of their trench.’ After being gassed and then a spell in Gallipoli, he vividly describes the first day of the Battle of the Somme at Beaumont Hamel.

 

Much of the value of the memoir lies in the fact that we see the war from the point of view of a soldier rather than an officer. Ashurst is often bitter, particularly at his treatment by officers. Wounded three times he was clearly a good NCO, valued by his officers, and his straightforward character and skill as a writer make this an exceptional memoir.

 

William

Edited 4 January , 2019 by WilliamRev

[Black Maria]

A fantastic memoir that I have just finished reading is ' Where they kill Captains : memories of war 1914-19 ' by Douglas H. Butler .

He joined up as a seventeen year old in the 1/4th Gloucestershire Regiment and later became a subaltern in the same battalion ,

seeing action at places such as Passchendaele ( the place where they kill captains) and on the Italian front . He wrote up his memoirs

over a five year period and finished it shortly before his death in 1978 . The book is newly published in paperback by Pegasus .

 

 

[WilliamRev]

This sounds fascinating, and not a memoir that I had heard of. I have looked it up on Amazon and will be ordering a copy soon (possibly later this afternoon). Many thanks!

 

William 

[Black Maria]

3 hours ago, WilliamRev said:

This sounds fascinating, and not a memoir that I had heard of. I have looked it up on Amazon and will be ordering a copy soon (possibly later this afternoon). Many thanks!

 

William 

You're welcome , I know these things are subjective but i really enjoyed reading it.

[ilkley remembers]

Recently acquired and read three memoirs mainly it has to be said because of their links to West Yorkshire. They are

1/ On That Day I Left My Boyhood Behind, which comprises the recollections of Norman Woodcock who was enlisted into the Northern Signals Company (TF) in 1914 and remained with them throughout the war. He appears to have written up his memories in the 1970s and after his death were published by his daughter Susan Burnett. The weakness of the book, for me at least, is the rather distracting exposition about WW1 added by his daughter.

 

2/ Plough and Scatter is based on the diary/journal of Ivor Hanson who had been conscripted into 311 Brigade RFA a 2^nd Line TF unit raised in the West Riding. IWM archivist, Alan Wakefield, edited the memoirs and sensibly keeps explanations to a minimum and allows Hanson himself to tell his story.

 

3/ Norman Tennant wrote his recollections of his service in 11(H) Battery of 4 West Riding RFA (later D/245 Battery) in the 1980s. The resulting book, A Saturday Night Soldiers War 1913-1918 is partly based upon his own diary as well as letters which he wrote home. He was a talented artist and the book is well illustrated by his own humorous drawings.

[David Filsell]

Mr B M

May I ask if it is your review on Amazon?

Regards

David

[Black Maria]

1 hour ago, David Filsell said:

Mr B M

May I ask if it is your review on Amazon?

Regards

David

Yes it is .

[ilkley remembers]

Just finished reading ‘Keeling Letters and Recollections’ (Allen and Unwin, 1918).

 

Frederick Hillersdon (Ben) Keeling , an ardent socialist and member of both the Fabians and ILP, trained with the Artists Rifles in August 1914 but the following month enlisted as a private into the 6^th DCLI. 

 

Keeling was KiA in August 1916 at Delville Wood by which time he had reached the rank of CSM and been  awarded the Military Medal. A large selection of his letters was published in 1918 and they cover the period 1908 to his death, although the majority are about his war service. Well known for his forthright opinions his letters, many written in the front line, give a vivid impression of his experiences in the army as well as his views on the political and military situation. As assistant editor at the New Statesman he also contributed articles about the war, some of which are published as recollections. He was well connected in both political and literary circles; Rupert Brooke was a personal friend as was HG Wells, who wrote the preface to the book, whilst future cabinet minister Arthur Greenwood also contributed. His company commander, Robert Ward-Barrington who was editor of the Times in WW2, was also a long standing acquaintance.

 

A 1st Edition of the book is available for £30, a modern copy for a tenner and if you are feeling particularly impecunious after Christmas is free at Archive.org 

 

Interestingly, Keeling, wore a full beard during his service and apparently claimed the if it was good enough for the King then it was good enough for him.

Edited 15 January , 2019 by ilkley remembers

[ilkley remembers]

In the Side Shows, Captain Wedgwood-Benn DFC DSO, Hodder and Stoughton, London 1919

 

William Wedgwood-Benn was a 37 year old MP when he joined the Middlesex Yeomanry as a subaltern in the first month of the war and served with the battalion in during the Gallipoli Campaign. Evacuated to Egypt suffering from jaundice, after recovery he transferred into the RNAS as an observer and during the following 12 months he seems to have enjoyed throwing bombs out of a seaplane onto Turks in Arabia and the Levant.

 

Pilot training brought William back to Britain and upon completion he was posted to the Italian Front where he served with Canadian Ace Billy Barker VC. Indeed it was with Barker that he was involved in a mission to parachute a spy behind enemy lines, the first time such a feat had been achieved.

 

William’s seems to have enjoyed his wartime service and his recollections include excellent descriptions of the actions in which he was involved. Of course being an MP means that he is never short of an opinion about most things including the military and its mindset.

 

Wedgwood-Benn later served in both the MacDonald and Attlee Administrations and in WW2 rejoined the RAF and rose to the rank of Air Commodore.

 

A 1919 edition can be bought for the price of a decent Franciacorta, whilst a modern edition is available for the cost of a bottle of Prosecco. However, if you are having a ‘Dry January’, then it can be read for free on Archive.org

[Dust Jacket Collector]

How the original looks, 100 years on.

[Marilyne]

Just started "Dorothea's War - A first world war nurse tells her story", by Dorothea Crewdson.

I downloaded it on Kindl as an interesting looking nurses's diary, hoping for some references to be used in my research about the women buried on the Western Front.

I was barely at the end of the introdcution writte by the editor, dorothea's nephew, when I noticed that she is, in fact, one of those I'm researching as she unfortunately died on duty, in March 1919, from peritonitis. She's buried in Etaples.

I have the list, but did not yet start researching those in Etaples, so this came as a surprise, and makes reading this diary even more interesting.

 

M;

[ilkley remembers]

Hugh Dalton’s, With British Guns in Italy, published in 1919 must have been one of the earliest firsthand accounts of British involvement in the Italian front. Arriving in Italy in 1917, Dalton, served as a 2nd Lieutenant with the RGA and although he doesn’t identify the unit it appears to have been the 302nd Siege Battery. He was present at the retreat from Caporetto and the following year fought during the fighting along the Asiago Plateau as well as the actions leading to the capitulation of the Austro-Hungarians. Interestingly Dalton's account seems to have been used as a secondary source for Ernest Hemmingway's novel A Farewell to Arms.

 

Like many of his contemporaries, Dalton, had a deep affection for Italy and he waxes lyrically about the beauty of the countryside and his admiration of Italians from the lowest to the highest. His descriptions of the Italian Army and their operatic inclinations and indeed uniforms is illuminating. However, for me at least is uncritical view of the Italian High Command is a weakness even if it is understandable in the immediate aftermath of the war.

 

Dalton saves his opprobrium for the human cost of the war and the young lives ruined by it. There are several telling passages within his account when he censures the failure of diplomacy and its tragic consequences. He is, however, no pacifist as later events would prove especially his criticism appeasement in the 30s, his involvement in Churchill’s war cabinet and as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Attlee’s first administration.

 

This is a good read and a 1919 edition can be purchased on Ebay for the cost of a nights stay at a modest hotel in Venice. If you are happy with a modern copy then it can be bought for the price of an evening in a shared dormitory at a youth hostel in Mestre. But if your budget can only stretch to sleeping under the stars on the sand dunes at San Nicolo at Venice Lido then it is free at archive.org

[gmac101]

I recently read this  "From Mons to Ypres with French, a personal narrative" by Frederic Abernathy Coleman

 

He was an American journalist who managed to "embed" himself in the HQ staff of French and then General de Lisle.  He did this by joining the RAC Corps who provided cars and drivers to the BEF during 1914 & 15 (and possibly longer)  Whilst he rarely saw the front line his tales of the great retreat, the battle of the Aisne and first Ypres as he saw them ferrying orders, wounded men and the HQ staff from billet to observation point and onwards are interesting and give an insight into the to and froing behind the lines.  He was under shell fire many times and describes its effects, particularly after one incident near Ypres he is quite frank about its psychological effects.  

 

He strongly supported the allied cause and the book was written to drum up support in America and so isn't perhaps as objective as it could have been but its a good read.

 

It would be interesting to see how much of it aligns with the unit war diaries 

 

He took his camera with him and the book contains about  50 photos 

 

you can download the book here: https://archive.org/details/frommonstoypresw00coleuoft

 

 

[simond9x]

On 04/01/2019 at 21:52, WilliamRev said:

I have just finished reading a memoir that I am sure is well-known to many forum pals: My Bit – A Lancashire Fusilier at War 1914-18 (Ramsbury: The Crowood Press, 1987) by George Ashurst, a working-class chap from Wigan who served as an NCO in the 1^st, 2^nd and 16^th battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers.

 

It was edited by the late Richard Holmes, who added just sufficient notes and comments to be helpful, but not enough to make the book seem deliberately ‘padded-out’ to please publishers, one of my pet peeves. The memoir was clearly written some years after the war, and Holmes points out that Ashurst makes a number of factual mistakes, getting certain events in the incorrect order, and getting other minor details wrong.

 

In the first chapter a teenage Ashurst threatens to shoot his abusive drunken father. After joining up he is soon an NCO, and gives an interesting account of Christmas Day 1914 in the front line: ‘Some of our boys tied up a sandbag and used it as a football, while a party of Germans enjoyed themselves sliding on a little frozen pond just in the rear of their trench.’ After being gassed and then a spell in Gallipoli, he vividly describes the first day of the Battle of the Somme at Beaumont Hamel.

 

Much of the value of the memoir lies in the fact that we see the war from the point of view of a soldier rather than an officer. Ashurst is often bitter, particularly at his treatment by officers. Wounded three times he was clearly a good NCO, valued by his officers, and his straightforward character and skill as a writer make this an exceptional memoir.

 

William

I read and enjoyed 'My Bit'. I also enjoyed listening to George being interviewed for the IWM. The recordings, which cover a lot of the same ground as his book, can be found here

 

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80009658

[ilkley remembers]

Just read these,

 

Arthur  Graeme West, The Diary of a Dead Officer (London 1917)

Mark VII, A Subaltern on the Somme (London 1927)

Max Plowman, War and the Creative Impulse (London 1919)

 

First published posthumously in 1917 shortly after West was killed by a snipers bullet at Barastre, east of Bapaume, this slim volume contains a selection of his letters, diary entries and poems written during his war service.

 

After front line service with one of the Public Schools Battalions, West underwent officer training and was gazetted into the 6^th O & BLI in late summer 1916. This appears to have provoked a period of intense introspection and a crisis of conscience after which he briefly considered refusing to return to the front. Ultimately he did of course go back and served with his battalion over the following winter.

 

The writings contained within this volume were been chosen by the philosopher Cyril Joad who also wrote the preface to the original edition. A contemporary of West at Blundell’s School and Baliol, Joad was a pacifist and conscientious objector and uses his preface to promote his own notions about the futility of war. It has been alleged that Joad was highly selective regarding his choice of West’s writings and apparently burned the letters and diary after The Diary of a Dead Officer was published.

 

Mark VIIs, A Subaltern on the Somme, was in fact written by Mark Plowman aka Max Plowman and relates his service with the 10^th West Yorks. between late July 1916 and January 1917.  As a journalist Plowman has a keen observational eye and his descriptions of the grim realities of trench life during that bitter winter are excellent. On the 14^th January 1917 be was concussed by the explosion of a shell at Carnoy and evacuated back to Britain where diagnosed as suffering from ‘shell shock’ he was treated by W. H. R. Rivers.

 

Plowman had espoused pacifist views before the war and during his recuperation became determined not to return to the front which resulted in a well reported court martial and subsequent dismissal from the army.

 

‘War and the Creative Impulse’ published after the war was Plowman’s justification of his wartime actions. This is a quasi philosphical and religious tract that appears to loosely combine esotericism, anarcho-communism with eastern mysticism amongst other ideas. It really isn’t an easy read and following the ordeal I felt like taking a lie down in a darkened room. Fortunately, the preface written by war correspondent Henry Nevinson (father of the war artist Christopher) is less arduous and gives a clearer frame to Plowman’s dramatic change of heart.

 

 

[Marilyne]

It's been quite a while it seems since anyone wrote on this thread... so I thought I'd update my list of auto biographies read in the last year (oh help… that's bad..)

• Sarah Mc Naughtan: A woman's diary
• Pat Beauchamp Washington: Fanny goes to war
• Wendy Dunlop: Letters from France: Jeannie Smith Lee, VAD.
• Vivian Newman (Ed): Nursing through shot and shell - the memoirs of Beatrice Hopkinson

read others too of course, but those were the main autobiographies I read for my research on the women in the war.

I've got some lines up for further research… coming up later…

 

M.