Tony Lund Posted 16 November , 2005 Share Posted 16 November , 2005 In the book Douglas Haig War Diary and Letters 1914-1918, edited by Gary Sheffield and John Bourne. Under the date Friday 21st August 1914 I found this statement used as a heading: “On this day II Corps was attacked by a larger German force at Mons.” A couple of paragraphs later, in the section actually credited to Haig, we have “Great columns of refugees were seen leaving Mons.” Lieutenant O’Mally, 2nd Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment wrote that he went to Mass on Sunday the 23rd August in Mons and that the place was peaceful and the people well dressed and mostly also attending church services. It was only after he had rejoined his unit that the battle started. I am not suggesting that there was no significant action on Friday the 21st just because I have not heard of any, but I cannot see how we can have refugees fleeing on the Friday and quietly attending church in the same town on the following Sunday. This book is carrying a £25 price tag. Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthergw Posted 17 November , 2005 Share Posted 17 November , 2005 Bit of a mystery that. I didn't spot it myself until you pointed it out. Spears, in his "Liaison 1914" devotes a chapter to August 21. That was the start of the Battle of Charleroi, between French and Germans on the Sambre. There were doubtless streams of refugees fleeing that battle but the British were not engaged yet. They were closing on Mons where on Sunday 23rd they would be in action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auimfo Posted 18 November , 2005 Share Posted 18 November , 2005 Any possibility of a simple typo in the printed text rather than Haig's notes? Tim L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Lund Posted 18 November , 2005 Author Share Posted 18 November , 2005 Assuming it to be a simple printing error, then if the date given in the book is changed from Friday 21 August to Sunday 23 August that would seem to solve it. However the book is mostly dated diary extracts so a mistake with a date right at the start casts some doubt on the reliability of all the other dates given, and at £25 a copy it should have been checked. Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 18 November , 2005 Share Posted 18 November , 2005 The person who did not make a mistake never made anything. As author/ co-author/ editor of five published books I can tell you that the most minute checking, proof-reading, peer group scrutiny etc can not and will not obviate every error. As a nit-picking scientific civil servant for 41 years, I am reconciled to the belief that, the moment one of my new books comes out, mistakes will be found. The affect on the author is so devastating that he/she says 'never again!'. An example? HRH The Price of Wales. See what I mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Lund Posted 18 November , 2005 Author Share Posted 18 November , 2005 That is a pretty horrifying thought. I am up to almost 200,000 words on the history of Holmfirth during the war and I was hoping that a few people reading it through when I have finished would be enough to be able to pick up on any mistakes, or at least any serious ones. Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armourersergeant Posted 18 November , 2005 Share Posted 18 November , 2005 I feel that it is the wrong day and date on the entry, if you substitute sunday 23rd it fits. regards Arm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Armstrong Custer Posted 19 November , 2005 Share Posted 19 November , 2005 The person who did not make a mistake never made anything. As author/ co-author/ editor of five published books I can tell you that the most minute checking, proof-reading, peer group scrutiny etc can not and will not obviate every error. As a nit-picking scientific civil servant for 41 years, I am reconciled to the belief that, the moment one of my new books comes out, mistakes will be found. The affect on the author is so devastating that he/she says 'never again!'. An example? HRH The Price of Wales. See what I mean? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> How I agree 100%! It never ceases to confound me how a text can appear to have absolute factual integrity and to be typo-free on the PC screen - but just you print it off and the errors leap off the hard copy in your hand with a vengeance! You correct the master (perhaps several times - entire forests must be consumed by this process!); then send the clean copy off to be bound - only to find when you open the covers of your 'masterpiece'....... well, I think you can guess! Ciao, GAC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 19 November , 2005 Share Posted 19 November , 2005 Yes, and my next lot of bad news, 250 copies of it, due in about ten days time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gary Sheffield Posted 12 December , 2005 Share Posted 12 December , 2005 I've only just come across this thread and of course the date we gave for Mons is wrong: it should be Sunday 23 August 1914. Having checked my original typescript, I wrongly put the day of the week as 'Friday'. It seems that at some stage in the editing process the date was changed to 21st to fit in with the day of the week, and none of us who read the proofs (and at least four people did) picked up on the typo. As all authors will be aware, this is a typical example of Clausewitzian friction (or Murphy's Law). Apologies to anyone who has been misled. I've just contacted the publishers and (if I haven't missed the deadline) the mistake will be amended in the paperback edition. As for the price of the book, in this age of 65+ quid for a monograph I'd humbly submit that £25 is quite reasonable for a book of this type... and it is certainly not the case that the dearer the book, the fewer the mistakes! Best wishes Gary Sheffield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 12 December , 2005 Share Posted 12 December , 2005 If nobody had made any "mistakes" there would not have been a WW1 for some people to write about and the rest of us to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxy Posted 12 December , 2005 Share Posted 12 December , 2005 Welcome to the Forum, Gary. Roxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Moretti Posted 15 December , 2005 Share Posted 15 December , 2005 I've only just come across this thread and of course the date we gave for Mons is wrong: it should be Sunday 23 August 1914. Having checked my original typescript, I wrongly put the day of the week as 'Friday'. It seems that at some stage in the editing process the date was changed to 21st to fit in with the day of the week, and none of us who read the proofs (and at least four people did) picked up on the typo. As all authors will be aware, this is a typical example of Clausewitzian friction (or Murphy's Law). Apologies to anyone who has been misled. I've just contacted the publishers and (if I haven't missed the deadline) the mistake will be amended in the paperback edition. As for the price of the book, in this age of 65+ quid for a monograph I'd humbly submit that £25 is quite reasonable for a book of this type... and it is certainly not the case that the dearer the book, the fewer the mistakes! Best wishes Gary Sheffield Dear Mr Sheffield Thank you for taking the time to come onto the board and clarify the error (thereby silencing the legions of anti-Haig conspiracy theorists who would say "Ha! He lied about that, who's to say he didn't lie about everything else!"). I have the hardback edition of the Haig diaries and have found it excellent reading. I wonder when/if we will ever see the complete, unexpurgated, unedited Haig cornucopia in print? I'd certainly buy it. Regards, Justin Moretti Justin Moretti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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