Waddell Posted 4 March , 2018 Share Posted 4 March , 2018 (edited) Currently re-reading P.J Campbell's 'The Ebb & Flow of Battle', a book I much admire. Can anyone shed any light on what artillery unit Campbell served with? Or further biographical details? The brief biographical details at the back of the book refer only to his postwar life and he doesn't refer to any specific battery or brigade during the book. Thanks, Scott Edited 4 March , 2018 by Waddell Added more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 4 March , 2018 Share Posted 4 March , 2018 It appears P J (Patrick James) Campbell also wrote a later book published in 1979 called In the Cannon's Mouth. A review on Amazon says "Read the latter first to maintain chronology", so perhaps there may be details in this later book. It appears that In the Cannon's Mouth was published in two different editions, perhaps published in different places, one of which also included The Ebb & Flow of Battle. Cheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddell Posted 4 March , 2018 Author Share Posted 4 March , 2018 Thanks Maureen, I was aware of the later (earlier) book and have not read it, however he doesn't give much away about his battery or brigades identity in the 'Ebb & Flow of Battle'. I cannot understand why when it was written fifty years after the events. He was positioned next to and had some involvement with AIF troops around Villers Brettoneux and later Hamel in April-June 1918. I am keen to know which Royal Artillery unit he was actually with. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Maria Posted 4 March , 2018 Share Posted 4 March , 2018 Just had a quick look on line and the I.W.M say he was in 150th Brigade R.F.A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddell Posted 4 March , 2018 Author Share Posted 4 March , 2018 (edited) On 04/03/2018 at 21:26, Black Maria said: Just had a quick look on line and the I.W.M say he was in 150th Brigade R.F.A Thanks for that. That puts him in 30th Division, which looks right from details on the LLT and stories in the book. Scott Edited 5 June , 2018 by Waddell Spelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helpjpl Posted 4 March , 2018 Share Posted 4 March , 2018 Is this him? - London Gazette, 26 July 1918: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30813/supplement/8784/data.pdf JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddell Posted 4 March , 2018 Author Share Posted 4 March , 2018 4 minutes ago, helpjpl said: Is this him? - London Gazette, 26 July 1918: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30813/supplement/8784/data.pdf JP Yes, that is him. Chapter two of the book gives his version of events leading to his receiving the Military Cross. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 4 March , 2018 Share Posted 4 March , 2018 6 hours ago, Waddell said: P.J Campbell's 'The Ebb & Flow of Battle', It is a great book. I think I once tried to identify the various characters with mixed success- I will look up my copy. Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helpjpl Posted 4 March , 2018 Share Posted 4 March , 2018 Does any of this fit? Medal Index Card: Patrick James Campbell RFA 172994 and Capt. Commissioned RFA (SR) 23/12/1916 France, 21/04/1917 Address, 14 Rawlinson Road, Oxford 1911 Census: Patrick James Campbell (13) born Oxford living at 14 Rawlinson Road, Oxford, with father John Edward Campbell (48) born Lisburn, co Antrim, Fellow and Tutor at Hertford College; mother Sarah (48) nee Hardman born Oldham, Lancs and siblings John Maurice Hardman Cambell (19) medical student; Dorothea Mary Campbell (8) and grandparents Joseph and Tamar Hardman. Married Camilla G Dahl in 1931. Times Death Notice - died 26 June 1986. Spouse, Camilla Civil Registration Death Index: Birth Date 22 December 1897; Death Age 88; Death Registered June 1986; Registration District Exeter. Probate Calendar - died 26 June 1986, Budleigh Salterton. JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddell Posted 4 March , 2018 Author Share Posted 4 March , 2018 That could be him. There really isn't much about him in the biographical section apart from mention that he was a maths scholar at Oxford, later was a schoolmaster at Westminster Under School before retiring to Budleigh, Salterton, Devon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddell Posted 10 March , 2018 Author Share Posted 10 March , 2018 (edited) Just coming back to this thread for others with an interest in P.J Campbell. Chapter 20 in the book concerns the attack on the Beaurevoir Line in early October 1918. Once more Campbell was attached to an Australian infantry battalion for that attack, which in this instance he actually identifies as the 20th Battalion AIF. In the chapter Campbell describes his journey to the Australian HQ, accompanied by his signallers, laying a wire connecting him back to his brigade’s H.Q. Looking through the 20th Battalion War Diary for that period it specifically mentions the 150th Army Brigade providing support for the attack. (see below) So as mentioned by Black Maria it looks like his unit was the 150th Army Brigade, RFA. I suspect that Campbell must have kept a diary or good notes to write about it in such detail during the late 1970's. I shall try to find the war diaries for the 150th Army Brigade at some stage and try to identify the other Australian infantry battalions mentioned earlier in the book. Scott Edited 10 March , 2018 by Waddell Added more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaretnolan Posted 4 June , 2018 Share Posted 4 June , 2018 I am reading In The Cannon’s Mouth at the moment. In chapter five Campbell mentions on seeing Ypres in the distance “that his brother had been killed in the first battle to which the town has given its name. Ypres!” I have searched for the brother mentioned in the census quoted above but can’t find him on CWCG. Any clues? I haven’t read The Ebb and Flow of Battle yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddell Posted 5 June , 2018 Author Share Posted 5 June , 2018 (edited) Thanks for raising that question Margaret. No, his brothers are not mentioned in the book (from memory), however, a bit of googling found that both his brothers served. Firstly, William Percy Campbell who was killed in Belgium during 1914. He appears to have the rank of sergeant in the image (?) http://www.oxfordhistory.org.uk/war/stmargaret/campbell_percy.html and the aforementioned John Maurice Hardman Campbell https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1767969/ An impressive family. No wonder P.J wrote so well. Scott Edited 5 June , 2018 by Waddell Punctuation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddell Posted 5 June , 2018 Author Share Posted 5 June , 2018 Margaret, Here is Second Lieutenant William Percy Campbell's CWGC entry- https://www.cwgc.org/find/find-war-dead/results?firstName=william&initial=wp&lastName=campbell&country=Belgium&war=1 He is named on the Menin Gate. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaretnolan Posted 5 June , 2018 Share Posted 5 June , 2018 Ah thank you Scott. I couldn’t find anything when I used good old google even nothing much on PJ Campbell himself. The book is easy to read. He is very honest about his fears and apprehension in the early part of the book whereas lots of other writers in their biographies are very brave from the start! Well the ones I’ve read anyway. He is a great writer indeed. Will pay my respects to WP Campbell at the Menin gate this year. Margaret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perth Digger Posted 5 June , 2018 Share Posted 5 June , 2018 I have WP Campbell's service record. There was good evidence that he was buried by his battalion, but the grave was subsequently lost. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 5 June , 2018 Share Posted 5 June , 2018 IWM hold two typescript volumes which may be the original versions of his 2 books. I found my copy of Ebb & Flow but annoyingly I must have removed my notes on identifying the other characters when I lent it to someone. Where did I put them ? Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margaretnolan Posted 6 June , 2018 Share Posted 6 June , 2018 Thank you all for the information. It’s much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddell Posted 16 August , 2018 Author Share Posted 16 August , 2018 (edited) Just coming back to this thread. I managed to obtain a copy of ‘In The Cannon’s Mouth’ published by Hamish Hamilton in 1986. This is the version mentioned by Maureene which contains both books. The book contains a couple of photographs of Campbell, which would have been good for the first book. Incidentally in the preface to the book there is mention of Campbell appearing in the 1985 BBC series ‘Soldiers’. I managed to find it online and Campbell can be found at the 3.00 min mark here- Additionally another soldier who wrote a memoir by the name of Charles Carrington appears later in the episode at 22.40. Always good to see footage of these men talking. Scott Edited 17 August , 2018 by Waddell Spelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Maria Posted 17 August , 2018 Share Posted 17 August , 2018 Thanks for posting , nice to see what Mr Campbell looked like ( my 1979 copy of ' In The Cannon's Mouth ' has no photos ) . It was also a very interesting programme , i will have to watch the others in the series . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 17 August , 2018 Share Posted 17 August , 2018 Scott Excellent. Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBrockway Posted 17 August , 2018 Share Posted 17 August , 2018 from the Oxford University Roll of Service ... Patrick James Campbell Brasenose College, matriculated 1919 (i.e.won his place during the War, but deferred his entry till after). Enlisted 01 Sep 1916. Lt., Acting Captain, C Battery, 150th Bde., RFA. France & Belgium. Military Cross, 26 Jul 1918. John Maurice Hardman Campbell New College (BA, Physiology) and Magdalen College (post graduate Bachelor of Medicine) Matriculated 1910. . Member of OU OTC before 1915. Enlisted 10 May 1915. Captain, RAMC (Special Reserve). Mesopotamia Persia. OBE (Military). MID, Mesopotamia, 1918, 1919. William Percy Campbell Hertford College, matriculated 1913. Member of OU OTC before 1915. Enlisted Aug 1914. 2/Lt 3rd Bn., attached 2nd Bn. Wiltshire Regt. Belgium & France. Killed in Action near Ypres 24 Oct 1914. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 14 December , 2020 Share Posted 14 December , 2020 Now available online The Ebb and Flow of Battle by P. J. Campbell (Patrick James) 1977. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library. Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 14 December , 2020 Share Posted 14 December , 2020 More information about Campbell will be contained in his service file at The National Archives Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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