Goodbye to all that

[Muerrisch]

Graves's role in OSND and OSS is overstated, judging from a study of their correspondence and from the typescripts. The facts are that Graves helped with punctuation, asked some good questions, added some officers' names, and brought the books to publishers' attention.

For more detail, see my Intro to the hardback illustrated OSND of last year.

[Guest webbhead]

Another book Graves was involved in as an editor--worth picking up if you can find it--is the Collected Poems of Frank Prewett. Prewett was an Ontario-born poet who knew Sassoon at Craiglockhart and later hooked up with Leonard and Virginia Woolf, whose Hogarth Press first published him. He's not a first-rate poet, more of a minor Owen or Sassoon, but his work has a place in the tradition of the period. Thanks largely to Graves, his work survives.

[salientguide]

Robert Graves is a fascinating character as well as a major literary figure of the early and mid 20th century. he later turned his back on all his war poetry, Faeiries and Fusiliers etc dismissing it as the work of a fevered mind but some of his poetry of the time is brilliant. read his biographies and perhaps like me you will be in little doubt that graves was deeply shell shocked well into the 1930s when he set off with Laura Riding for a new life in Majorca. She was deeply weird. Graves left England after they had a tiff and Riding threw herself out of a third floor window!! Graves being equally daffy at that time promptly threw himself out after her. He escaped serious injury but she suffered a fractured pelvis and other serious injuries. He was investigated by the police who suspected he might have actually thrown her out, attempted murder. He lived most of his life in the village of Deya Majorca where Cala Llun their house still exists. he went down every day to bath in the Cale de Deya and has a simple hand written plaque on his grave in Deya churchyard

ROBERT GRAVES--POETA.

SG

[museumtom]

I picked up a hardback of Goodbye to all that, the 1995 re-print for a euro today at a car boot sale. The it fell off the table and hit my wifes hand and she picked it up and then I saw what it was. I was not looking for books at all.

Time to buy a lottery ticket!!

Tom

[Ciaran Byrne]

I haven't read this but from what I can gather here, it does seem disapointing. So far, the two best books I have read are "Devil in the Drum" by John Lucy and "Storm of Steel" by Ernst Junger. Both seem to more honest and brutal than it would seem from GBTAT.

I haven't read (to my eternal shame) the two Frank Richards books and it seems that I won't for some considerable time as I have just got a copy of "The War The Infantry Knew" and "General Jack's Diary" which are on a special offer at N&M Press.

[truthergw]

I haven't read this but from what I can gather here, it does seem disapointing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You will do yourself a disservice if you never read it. Neither the book nor its author attained perfection. Not many things or people do. Read it and I think you will see why it is a classic.

[AndyHollinger]

Likehim or not this string should make you realize EVERYONE has ... it's like AQWF ...a must read

[Steven Broomfield]

Neither the book nor its author attained perfection. Not many things or people do.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You obviously haven't met my wife Seriously, though, GTAT is a must read for all sorts of reasons, particularly if you have any interest in the literary world of the 20th Century.

[neutrino]

I'm halfway through re reading GTAT.

One thing which confuses me is that Graves is very impressed with the RWF officers and their mess while based in the UK.

Then he goes to France and is 'seconded' to the Welsh who although at first appear rather inferior to the RWF but he eventually really appreciates and enjoys the men and officers of the Welsh.

Later when he returns to the RWF in France he finds their officers and mess almost unacceptable over many things.

But he never gives any reason why the RWF should have changed so quickly from 'good' to 'bad'.

Anyone any ideas.

[Muerrisch]

He changed his mind again: 'the only organisation I have ever been proud to belong to was The Regiment'. Robert Graves, private letter after the war.

Good question, difficult to be precise.

RG was journalistic, and painted things in black or white, not grey. As a rebellious, very articulate and confident very large young man, he found RWF regular officers hidebound, not bright, and just generally difficult. But he came to see, I believe, that the old-fashioned virtues of loyalty, self-discipline, looking after the soldiers first, and indeed conformity, were important to sustain morale and military efficiency.

[neutrino]

Ah, think I've found the answer.

When I turned over the page and continued reading it was obvious that he was in the 1st Battalion while in the UK.

Then when he transferred back to the RWF in France after his stint with the Welsh he went to the 2nd Battalion.

The 1st had been based in UK for 30 ish years while the 2nd had been based overseas for 30 ish years and therefore there was an obvious difference between how the Battalions treated junior officers.

[Muerrisch]

Hold hard! 1RWF served over three years in SA for the war there 1899-1902, and returned from Malta to fight the Great War in 1914!

When one considers the frequent cross-postings of many officers between the regular battalions as evidenced the monthly Army Lists, it is far from obvious how a different ethos had emerged by 1914-15.

[Roxy]

Notwithstanding any embellishment by Graves, I thought that GTAT was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Most notably, from my position, was the relavation that the officers of RWF were given free membership of Formby Golf Club whilst stationed in Liverpool (they probably wouldn't let me in through the door!) and that Seigfreid Sassoon's MC is rusting away/rusted away in the sea 1/4 mile from my house.

Roxy