Who is This ? ? ?

[Uncle George]

1 minute ago, neverforget said:

He did put into writing his humorous account of the war, but unfortunately didn't get to finish it. 

I was just about to say, ‘Pilsudski?’. But now I don’t think I’ll bother.

[neverforget]

7 minutes ago, Uncle George said:

I was just about to say, ‘Pilsudski?’. But now I don’t think I’ll bother.

You'd be right not to bother. My man was born in Austria Hungary.

[ilkley remembers]

This is Jaroslav Hasek the author of 'The Fate of the Good Soldier Sevjk During The Great War' which is the shortened version of the original title. One of Trotskys mates and had he not died in 1923 might have endured a similar fate at the hands of Comrade Stalin. 

[neverforget]

Yes, well done. Fought on both sides and joined three different armies. In February 1915 he was called up to the Austro-Hungarian army. He was  transported to the Eastern front in Galicia (now Ukraine). He served on the front until 24 September 1915 when he was captured by the Russians and sent to the Totskoye camp in Orenburg Governorate. Here he joined the Czechoslovak Legion in 1916. Then he was drafted into the 1st Regiment, where he worked as a scribe, emissary of the recruitment committee and gunner. Then he was transferred to the connecting section, machine-gun section (in which he participated in the Battle of Zborov against the Austrians) and the office of the 1st Regiment. In April 1918 he transferred from the legions to the Red Army. At the end of 1918 he served as commander of the Chuvash troops in the Red Army and as deputy military commander of the Bugulma district. 

Even though he didn't get to finish Good Soldier that didn't stop it being translated into some 60 languages, making it the most translated novel in Czech literature.

On "The Good Soldier": A number of literary critics consider The Good Soldier to be one of the first anti-war novels, predating Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front. Joseph Heller said that if he had not read The Good Soldier Švejk, he would never have written his novel Catch-22. Sue Arnold, writing in The Guardian, stated "Every harassed negotiator, every beleaguered political wife and anyone given to ever-increasing moments of melancholy at the way things are should keep a copy of Hasek's classic 'don't let the ******** get you down' novel to hand. It's anti-war, anti-establishment, anti-religion and - praise indeed - even funnier than Catch-22."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaroslav_Hašek

Edited 1 February , 2023 by neverforget

[ilkley remembers]

20 minutes ago, neverforget said:

Yes, well done. Fought on both sides and joined three different armies. In February 1915 he was called up to the Austro-Hungarian army. He was  transported to the Eastern front in Galicia (now Ukraine). He served on the front until 24 September 1915 when he was captured by the Russians and sent to the Totskoye camp in Orenburg Governorate. Here he joined the Czechoslovak Legion in 1916. Then he was drafted into the 1st Regiment, where he worked as a scribe, emissary of the recruitment committee and gunner. Then he was transferred to the connecting section, machine-gun section (in which he participated in the Battle of Zborov against the Austrians) and the office of the 1st Regiment. In April 1918 he transferred from the legions to the Red Army. At the end of 1918 he served as commander of the Chuvash troops in the Red Army and as deputy military commander of the Bugulma district. 

Even though he didn't get to finish Good Soldier that didn't stop it being translated into some 60 languages, making it the most translated novel in Czech literature.

On "The Good Soldier": A number of literary critics consider The Good Soldier to be one of the first anti-war novels, predating Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front. Joseph Heller said that if he had not read The Good Soldier Švejk, he would never have written his novel Catch-22. Sue Arnold, writing in The Guardian, stated "Every harassed negotiator, every beleaguered political wife and anyone given to ever-increasing moments of melancholy at the way things are should keep a copy of Hasek's classic 'don't let the ******** get you down' novel to hand. It's anti-war, anti-establishment, anti-religion and - praise indeed - even funnier than Catch-22."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaroslav_Hašek

Excellent and a good choice for a WiT

[neverforget]

As per usual for me, I stumbled across him while looking into someone else. 

[ilkley remembers]

7 minutes ago, neverforget said:

As per usual for me, I stumbled across him while looking into someone else. 

Yes rather like this one

Another surprising omission from the Pantheon of WiTs, although, he has a handful of mentions on the forum.  A man with a multitude of talents who found his wartime métier in ‘cloak and dagger’ operations. Liked and disliked in almost equal proportions but was an alleged attempt at regicide his undoing?

He also has an odd West Midlands connection

[neverforget]

George McMahon? (He said, dubiously).

[Uncle George]

Charles Thoroton?

Edited 1 February , 2023 by Uncle George

[ilkley remembers]

21 minutes ago, neverforget said:

George McMahon? (He said, dubiously).

 

19 minutes ago, Uncle George said:

Charles Thoroton?

Sadly, neither of these two. 

 

This chap was the defendant in a trial in the 1930s when he was charged with offences under the Official Secrets Act which largely stemmed from his wartime service

[ilkley remembers]

Another little clue for our smart marine

He hailed from County Durham but identified as Scottish. He is buried on a Hebridian Island which, all things considered, is most appropriate given his most famous and enduring work

[Uncle George]

14 minutes ago, ilkley remembers said:

Another little clue for our smart marine

He hailed from County Durham but identified as Scottish. He is buried on a Hebridian Island which, all things considered, is most appropriate given his most famous and enduring work

Compton Mackenzie?

[neverforget]

Good shout Uncle George. 

[ilkley remembers]

44 minutes ago, Uncle George said:

Compton Mackenzie?

Help yourself to a wee dram in celebration of a fine effort

Sir Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie, to give him his Sunday name. Variously an author, spy, actor historian and tax evader. His literary output was prodigious and he is most famous for ‘Whisky Galore’ which later became a film and in which he actually appears.

Born in West Hartlepool, County Durham, into a famous acting family he was well connected and Sir Ian Hamilton obtained for him a commission into the Royal Marines. Service at Gallipoli didn’t suit and he transferred into the intelligence service and was heavily involved in the machinations surrounding the involvement of Greece in WW1. It is alleged that he was involved in a plot to poison pro-German King Constantine 1st  which did him no great favours with his lords and masters.

He wrote about his involvement in the book ‘Greek Memories’ in which he ill advisedly named various others involved and thus fell foul of the Official Secrets Act. He lost the case and the book was banned and only published in full in 2011.

The West Mids connection is he eschewed support for his home town football team, Hartlepool, and preferred to affiliate with West Bromwich because apparently he liked the name of the ground, The Hawthornes’.

An unusual fact about him is that he is one of only 2 WW1 veterans to have appeared on the BBC Childrens show ‘Jackanory’, the other being John Laurie

[Uncle George]

Another splendid WiT from IR. Following the theme, who is this rather louche Marine and Intelligence officer ? ? ? Although he died in the 20’s he had an effect on strategic planning for the Second war.
 

[Marilyne]

I know that "frog" !! 

M.

[ilkley remembers]

35 minutes ago, Uncle George said:

Following the theme, who is this rather louche Marine and Intelligence officer ?

He seems to have taken the phrase 'whiskey galore' rather too literally

[Uncle George]

1 minute ago, ilkley remembers said:

He seems to have taken the phrase 'whiskey galore' rather too literally

That, sadly, was indeed the case.

[ilkley remembers]

3 minutes ago, Uncle George said:

That, sadly, was indeed the case.

Depending on your view he either drank himself to death or imbibed poisoned whiskey kindly donated to him by the Japanese. Nice link with the previous post and a good story. You man is Lt. Col. Earl Hancock Ellis USMC

[Uncle George]

3 minutes ago, ilkley remembers said:

Depending on your view he either drank himself to death or imbibed poisoned whiskey kindly donated to him by the Japanese. Nice link with the previous post and a good story. You man is Lt. Col. Earl Hancock Ellis USMC

Yes, indeed he is. Image and story from here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Hancock_Ellis

[Marilyne]

His strategic knowledge is that of amphibious operations. Hence tbe "frog" reference... 

M.

[tankengine888]

New bloke..

Met an unfortunate end...

[ilkley remembers]

5 hours ago, tankengine888 said:

New bloke..

Is this Talbot Hobbs who died at sea on route to attend the opening of the Australian National Memorial at Villers?

[tankengine888]

2 minutes ago, ilkley remembers said:

Is this Talbot Hobbs who died at sea on route to attend the opening of the Australian National Memorial at Villers?

Good thought, but no.

[ilkley remembers]

4 minutes ago, tankengine888 said:

Good thought, but no.

Have a tad more confidence with this suggestion. Killed in an air crash Sir Cyril Brudenell Bingham White,