The Triumph and Tragedy of the Bantams - Kit Fraser

[DaveC1903]

Written in 2017, this book is a series of transcripts from interviews the author made in 1982 for a 1 hour Radio 4 Documentary on the Bantams. The author also offers some thoughts on the formation and war history of the 35th and 40th Divisions.

 

It's a short read, just 90 pages. There are some printing errors and factual errors (e.g. listing the 18th HLI in the 35th and the 40th Divisions) but not enough to spoil the enjoyment of this book, especially for the price: I ordered it on Amazon for $8. (Side note: my copy it was made on June 30, 2019 in South Carolina, i.e. the day I ordered it.  Which was nice. But I digress).

 

It's always fascinating reading the words of Great War Soldiers. I feel like this book would be of interest to anyone interested in the Great War and not just the experiences of Bantam Soldiers. If one of your relatives is one of the ten Bantams interviewed then I suggest it's a must have. Those men are:

 

Peter Cassidy, 17th Battalion Royal Scots

Thomas Hannah, 18th Battalion Highland Light Infantry

John Lawson, 15th Battalion Cheshire Regiment

George Palmer, 14th Battalion Gloucester Regiment

Arthur Riddle, 19th Battalion Durham Light Infantry

James Taylor, 15th Battalion Sherwood Foresters

George Cunningham, 18th Battalion Highland Light Infantry

Arthur Davies, 17th Battalion Welsh Regiment

Augustine Piller, 18th Battalion, Welsh Regiment

Edgar Robinson, 13th Battalion Green Howards