Johnny Get Your Gun

[spike10764]

A personal narrative of the Somme Ypres and Arras.

At the age of 17 and a 1/2 John Tucker enlisted as an infantryman in the Territorial Unit of the 13th London Regiment(The Kensingtons).It was November 1914, he chose the Territorials as he had a chest problem and he felt a regular battalion would not have accepted him.He was underage and givinghis age as 19, soon found himself in the 3rd Battalion, 13th Londons.

After kitting out and early training, he was transferred to the 2nd Battalion and completed his training.Then accepted as a voluntary draft, he joined the 1st Battalion in France , on the Western Front.

The book tells the story of his 3 years of trench warfare, during which he took part in the battles of the Somme, Arras, Cambrai and Ypres.Seriously wounded in April 1918, he returned to "Blighty" and was invalided out after treatment on 22nd August 1918.returning to his pre war work, he also as a member of his Regimental Old Comrades Association, assisted with the campaign maps of the 2nd Battalion(he had an artistic talent which he used as Pioneer Company signwriter during his service in France). He also remained a Private throughout those years, by his own choice.

This book has a style I very much like.It's like sitting at the feet of your elderly relative, whilst he tells you a story.

Sometimes his memory isn't so ordered, sometimes he bursts into snippets of songs as he tells, but you can't help but admire the deeds of which he talks. It's the story all of us would wish our relatives had been able to tell us(although it has taken 60 years for John Tucker to feel able to tell it).

A fairly robust(the photos show a man who suits a uniform),well built man, John Tucker appears to have felt his time in the army was the making of him. Patriotic and keen, it is only looking back he feels slightly betrayed by "those in power"(Land fit for Heroes ,eh!) and feels a deep sense of loss for the dead and their families.

He freely acknowledges his luck on many occasions (getting in the Pioneer Company, leaving dugouts just before they were shelled, getting his water bottle holed by a bullet). His outlook must have been the one that sustained so many during the conflict, Honest Strong healthy and Cheery to the last.

A story worth the name....dive in and immerse yourself in it's warm infectious charm.....

Spike

PS -sorry left out the ISBN number(well it took quite a lot of one finger typing to get this far!) ISBN 0 7183 0475 6 ....... (Spike)

[Paul Reed]

This is a great book, and one I used for my own work on Combles... I corresponded briefly with the author in the early days of the WFA (he died around ?1982/3), but sadly never met him. A great favourite of mine, and a brilliant London Regiment memoir.

[HERITAGE PLUS]

I was fortunate to find my copy for only 50p when my local library opted to clear their shelves of older books, some years ago.

Spikes resume is an accurate description of the book I would recommend it.

[MartinWills]

Interestingly I started reading this very volume a few days ago and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

For me the Kensingtons are always linked to Eric Kennington's magnificent "The Kensingtons at Laventie" which is arguably (I argue with myself sometimes..) my favourite Great War painting. Tucker joined the unit not long after Kennington was invalided home and served with the men who appear in the painting. One of the illustrations in the book carries a facinationg caption describing and naming the individuals portrayed in the picture.

I'm never quite sure what the attraction of the painting is but I have been to look and ponder over it more times than I care to remember. It's painted in a german style by painting on the REVERSE of a glass sheet and is hence painted in mirror image. Every time I look at it I feel I learn more about the men of the Kensingtons and their trials and tribulations. Weariness is in their demeanour, particularly the young soldier lying down. As you begin to look further, however, you see more and more and with further viewings you see even more. It may be the "souvenirs" including the pickelhaube; the variety of headgear; the slight differences in uniform, the aloofness of the senior man or even little things like the cutlery tucked into the puttees.

Returning to the book all I can add is that even though I am only half way through it is a d*mn good read.

Martin

[paul guthrie]

Yes Martin it is a fine painting though I really like Paul Nash ones best of all. A real high point in visiting the IWM is the gallery upstairs and usually there are not many people there. The WW2 paintings just do not match up.

There is a fine web site on WW1 art. I think search for Art of First World War should get to it.

In the Kensingtons painting for a while i thought the man with the balaclave who is prone was dead but I was wrong. Boy it's good!

[MartinWills]

Can I echo Paul's comments about the IWM galleries. They really are the most undervisited art galleries in London. Considering the quality of the artists (Nash, Nevinson, Singer-Sargent and soon) it is almost criminal that so few people are seen there. I'm not complaining, however - I have often spent half an hour undisturbed in the company of great art, not least Singer-Sargent's "Gassed" which has so much going on in the background.

I know two other American "pals" have similarly been astonished by the peaceful oasis that the IWM galleries present, for pals Steve Wright and Roberta first met each other there last November.

If you have not been do take time when you have it to savour the galleries - they are free.

[andigger]

I am playing around my favorites section of the Forum tonight and see there are several good books out there we haven't talked about recently. Hopefully bringing up threads like this one will remind people whats out there and let those who don't know that there are some really great books to be read.

Andy

[Malcolm]

Good idea Andy.

Just as an aside, 'Johnny get your gun ' is usually said by LMG gunners as about five/six shots are fired in the time it takes to say it. Just as a useless piece of info.

I'll get my coat.......

Aye

Malcolm