THE LOST TOMMIES

[Guest]

As a semi-retired bookseller, it would be inappropriate for me to peddle the wares of another-so you may have to use your wits a little.

   If you enjoyed the book- currently listed new at £40- and scratch around the Internet listers, you will find it available in a small quantity from a reliable seller (Not me!!) at about half cover price. Seems to be only just isted. I do not know if others will have it shortly.

  I thought it an excellent book- an antidote to all the cheering Tommies of the newsreels- An object lesson in stress and battle fatigue

[Martin Bennitt]

Walked into the American Library in Paris this afternoon to do my weekly stint as a volunteer helper to find this book on display and immediately checked it out, and have been looking through it ever since. A colleague said "when you return it", to which I replied, "If I return it...."

 

Magnificent pictures, interesting background, a lot of book for the money. The mistakes, including a French misattribution, are negligible, except perhaps for real purists.

 

Cheers Martin B

[Guest]

33 minutes ago, Martin Bennitt said:

Magnificent pictures, interesting background, a lot of book for the money.

 

    MB-See the preceding post- I suspect that as one bookseller has it cheaper, then it will appear elsewhere fairly soon. A similar couple of very good quality English Heritage books of photographs of London were done not long ago and it was the same- after a year or so it will start to appear hither and thither for about half cover price

[David Ridgus]

It was £20 when I bought my copy from Amazon and I see today it's listed at £26.

 

Whatever the price - what a book! The picture of the West Yorkshire Battalion HQ on page 115 is one of the most memorable I have seen in years. The image of Major Scott is nothing short of haunting. Also the story of Major Lewis, dying at the head of his troops aged 54 on 1st July with an accompanying picture that seems to epitomise the stoical certainties of that generation of regular soldiers.

 

David

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, David Ridgus said:

It was £20 when I bought my copy from Amazon and I see today it's listed at £26.

 

Whatever the price - what a book! The picture of the West Yorkshire Battalion HQ on page 115 is one of the most memorable I have seen in years. The image of Major Scott is nothing short of haunting. Also the story of Major Lewis, dying at the head of his troops aged 54 on 1st July with an accompanying picture that seems to epitomise the stoical certainties of that generation of regular soldiers.

 

David

 

 Well purchased- It won't hang around for long,as there will not be as many copies done of a good harback compared to,say,a paperback novel. £20 is realistically the best it will get,give or take a few pence- One of the better remaindered books for a long time.

[simond9x]

Think I may have identified 4 of the men in one photo. Just reading ''Captain Hepper's Great War Diary' (see https://www.amazon.co.uk/Captain-Heppers-Great-Diary-1916-1919/dp/1904524818/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=captain hepper&qid=1568882558&s=gateway&sr=8-1&fbclid=IwAR3pILJgQ90E38IHj-gzEcXlVVlw-vc_KKfaRCUBEmVIcndTu137IxHLu58). On page 103 of the diary, 17th Feb 1917, he says "DeWitt, Thurgood, White and I go to Vignacourt to be photographed. We hump a pack containing our 'woolly bears' and tin hats on our heads'.

 

I looked through all the photos on the Facebook page and believe that this one is the four of them, with Hepper at the back on the right. If so, I hope this finds its way to his family and that the other three can be positively identified.

Edit - Ha! I jumped the gun somewhat. Having posted the above, I resumed reading and over the page was a very grainy image of the same photo. Ah well, at least the family knows.

Edited 19 September , 2019 by simond9x

[Gunner Bailey]

Fabulous book. My birthday present last year from my wife. I used to pass Vignacourt regularly a few years ago. Who knows what treasure we pass every day?