Diary of an Old Contemptible

[BeppoSapone]

I have no connection with this book, other than seeing this item in last nights paper.

I am sure that this book will be of interest, and profits are to go to a charity - the Queen's Lancashire Regiment Charity Fund.

[Ste]

Beppo,

thanks for posting the article. It is an excellent book - look here Edward Roe for a few more snippets about it.

Just to clarify one of the points in the article, Roe spent his whole Great War service with the East Lancashires (1st then 6th Btns), not the South Lancs (he joined them after the war). However, the book is still of interest to the South Lancs as his service in Flanders and Mesopotamia included spells alongside the 1/5th and 6th Battalions South Lancs, and sheds light on their activities.

Cheers,

Ste

[SMG65]

I have just finished reading this book and can recommend it to everyone.

It is an excellent book and ranks up there 'Storm Of Steel' and 'There's A Devil In The Drum'.

For those who enjoy the stories of how Recruiting Sergeants got soldiers to join up, the method used on Edward Roe is a novel one, (I won't spoil it).

I now will look at Mousetrap (Shelltrap) Farm, Ypres, with new eyes.

It also destroys the myth that soldiers in other theatres had an easier time than those on the Western Front. The battles over the ground we now call Iraq are just as horrific as any others and it can be argued that conditions were much worse.

A lot of the places mentioned are known to us today by current events in Iraq and it is sad that what happened there during the Great War is forgotten.

One criticism of the book is that the background notes (which are very informative) are at the end of each chapter and if you read these every time one arises, then there is a lot of page turning. One of the chapters has 90 background notes. I would prefer the background notes to be on each page under the narrative.

However do not let this put you off a marvellous book. It brings to light what A J Barker called and wrote about - 'The Neglected War'.