What WW1 books are you reading?

[Gunner Bailey]

1 hour ago, David Ridgus said:

There is another recently published 'A Battle too far: Arras 1917' by Don Farr. 

I haven't read it but it will need to go some to better Cheerful Sacrifice which is an absolute belter.

 

David

 

1 hour ago, Fattyowls said:

 

I agree. There is only one dodgy sentence in the whole book; the rest of it reads really well.

 

Pete.

 

 

Many thanks guys. I've always had a suspicion that there was far more to Arras than met the eye. I hope these books will better inform me.

[stiletto_33853]

Just started "Pouring With Rain - Troops fed up" by Dennis Williams. British 2nd Army and the Liberation in Flanders 1918.

 

Andy

[Donald D]

On 30/10/2020 at 13:48, Gunner Bailey said:

 

Bought a second hand copy a week ago. Next on my list to read. I have been looking for a book on the Battle of Arras for ages. Are there any others?

An excellent book I have read is "Arras" by Peter Barton with Jeremy Banning. Includes many panoramic photo's. ISBN: 978-1-84529-421-2

[Gunner Bailey]

11 hours ago, Donald D said:

An excellent book I have read is "Arras" by Peter Barton with Jeremy Banning. Includes many panoramic photo's. ISBN: 978-1-84529-421-2

Many thanks I'll look out for it.

 

John

[GWF1967]

“Valour Beyond Measure.  Captain Richard William Leslie Wain. V.C. The Tank Corps at Cambrai 1917”.  - Dr Johnathan Hicks. 

 

A full length biography of Captain Richard Wain who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the Battle of Cambrai. 

He was born in Penarth and educated at Llandaff Cathedral School and later St.Bees.  

 Originally enlisting to the 7th Welsh (Cyclists)T.F, he was discharged after 87 days as medically unfit. He then enlisted in the 16th Middlesex, Public Schools Battalion, before receiving a commission in the 17th Manchester regiment, and saw overseas service from March 1916.

He was wounded on The Somme in late June and was evacuated back to Britain. 

 In January 1917 he transferred to the Heavy Branch of the M.G.C. 

 Captain Wain was awarded the V.C. for “conspicuous bravery in command of a section of Tanks” not far from Marcoing on the Cambrai front. 

 The book seems well researched, my only gripe being that some of the illustrations and maps are quite dark and reproduced in a size that makes details virtually unreadable. ( see image attached). 

Edited 2 November , 2020 by GWF1967

[pjwmacro]

58 minutes ago, GWF1967 said:

“Valour Beyond Measure.  Captain Richard William Leslie Wain. V.C. The Tank Corps at Cambrai 1917”.  - Dr Johnathan Hicks. 

Best be adding this to my reading list!

[The Scorer]

11 minutes ago, pjwmacro said:

Best be adding this to my reading list!

 

It's on mine already! I've read a couple of books by Dr Hicks, and they're well researched and written. 

[GWF1967]

10 minutes ago, The Scorer said:

 

It's on mine already! I've read a couple of books by Dr Hicks, and they're well researched and written. 

Agreed. I bought it on the strength of his books on Mametz and Passchendaele.  

[The Scorer]

Just now, GWF1967 said:

Agreed. I bought it on the strength of his books on Mametz and Passchendaele.  

 

Those are two of them; he's also written one about the Welsh participation during the War in the Air. 

[GWF1967]

6 minutes ago, The Scorer said:

 

Those are two of them; he's also written one about the Welsh participation during the War in the Air. 

I have “Wales and The First Air War 1914-18”, it’s on my to do list

[The Scorer]

53 minutes ago, GWF1967 said:

I have “Wales and The First Air War 1914-18”, it’s on my to do list

 

Yes, that's the one. 

[Marilyne]

On 30/10/2020 at 18:55, Fattyowls said:

 

I agree. There is only one dodgy sentence in the whole book; the rest of it reads really well.

 

 

I can only second that!! Great book!!! 

 

7 hours ago, GWF1967 said:

“Valour Beyond Measure.  Captain Richard William Leslie Wain. V.C. The Tank Corps at Cambrai 1917”.  - Dr Johnathan Hicks. 

 

That's going on the X-mas wishlist... I saw that he is from Penarth... I just researched a woman from Penarth: Mrs Emily Pickford, a singer from the Lena Ashwell concerts who died in a car accident near Abbeville in february 1919. Tragic story !! I wonder if Capt Wain ever heard of her, as she was quite famous at home! 

 

I see that Dr Hicks wrote two novels also about the war: "the dead of Mametz" and "Demons walk among us" ... anyone read them??? any good?? 

 

for me I just spent some dimes on "The Road to Verdun" and "The Road to Passchendaele"... call it my own "road to madness".... COVID induced frustration buys... 

 

M.

Edited 2 November , 2020 by Marilyne

[pjwmacro]

5 hours ago, The Scorer said:

It's on mine already! I've read a couple of books by Dr Hicks, and they're well researched and written

Thank you

 

4 hours ago, GWF1967 said:

have “Wales and The First Air War 1914-18”, it’s on my to do list

Think that had best go on the list as well. Does it cover William Charles Venmore (Alex Roulston's observer in March 18) by any chance?

[GWF1967]

8 minutes ago, pjwmacro said:

Thank you

 

Think that had best go on the list as well. Does it cover William Charles Venmore (Alex Roulston's observer in March 18) by any chance?

I couldn’t say. I have yet to read it and unfortunately it’s not indexed. 

[The Scorer]

38 minutes ago, pjwmacro said:

Thank you

 

Think that had best go on the list as well. Does it cover William Charles Venmore (Alex Roulston's observer in March 18) by any chance?

 

The name doesn't ring a bell, but it's quite a while since I read it - sorry.

[charlie2]

7 hours ago, GWF1967 said:

maps are quite dark and reproduced in a size that makes details virtually unreadable. ( see image attached)

The map you show is from Vol 13 of the German OH, which isn‘t the clearest map in the first place as it is (in the 1956 edition) a copy of the original colour map, little wonder it isn‘t very readable.

https://digi.landesbibliothek.at/viewer/image/AC03617667/527/

 

Charlie

[GWF1967]

10 minutes ago, charlie2 said:

The map you show is from Vol 13 of the German OH, which isn‘t the clearest map in the first place as it is (in the 1956 edition) a copy of the original colour map, little wonder it isn‘t very readable.

https://digi.landesbibliothek.at/viewer/image/AC03617667/527/

 

Charlie

Thanks.

The map, as it is reproduced in the book,  measures 4” x 2 1/2”,  approx 1/3 page.  I’m sure it would be much clearer if it were enlarged to cover a whole page. 

[David Ridgus]

4 hours ago, Marilyne said:

 

 

I see that Dr Hicks wrote two novels also about the war: "the dead of Mametz" and "Demons walk among us" ... anyone read them??? any good?? 

 

 

M.

I have read and enjoyed them both Marilyne. Although they both follow the form of standard whodunnits and crime procedure novels - murder, range of suspects, dogged detective, criminal unmasked - the highly unusual settings (Mametz Wood and the South Wales Home Front) give them a real edge for Great War obsessives like us. The detective is a Military Policeman called Thomas Oscendale who is well drawn and the scenes on the battlefield are very well handled. Recommended

 

David

[GWF1967]

“Family Secrets” Derek Malcom. 

 Whilst not strictly a Great War book, it has substantial links to 1914-18.

A factual book, at times it reads like fiction. 

 Born 1932, educated at Eton and Merton College, Oxford, Derek Malcom later tried his hand as a Steeplechase jockey and actor before a career as a Guardian journalist, author and film critic. 

His father James Douglas Malcolm made his money in the family Jute business before enlisting as a 2nd Lt. in the R.H.A, his uncle Lt. Col. Gordon Malcolm was C.O of the London Scottish at Messines in 1914. 

  His parents were married in 1914 shortly before his father enlisted, his mother Dorothy was described as “a woman of great beauty”. 

 In 1916 2nd Lt. Malcolm sailed for Egypt with 42nd E.Lancs Division where he saw heavy fighting against the Turks. 

 In February 1917 the division moved to France. 

 In July 1917 Lt. Malcolm arrived home on leave. Finding his wife absent, he soon discovered her to be staying with a family friend in Hampshire. Also present was his wife’s lover, Anton Baumberg, a Polish-Jew, who called himself Count de Borch. Malcolm arrived unannounced and assaulted his love rival. 

 Before returning to France Lt. Malcom wrote twice to Baumberg, firstly challenging him to a duel, then later to say “if I ever hear of you trying to steal or even talk to my wife again -  I will get leave to hunt you out and give you such a thrashing that even your own mother will not know you again”.

 Dorothy Malcolm promised to end the affair, but later wrote to her husband in France to say she wanted a divorce. 

 On the 14th August Lt. Malcolm knocked at the door of Baumberg’s lodgings, telling the housemaid he was “Inspector Quinn of Scotland Yard”. Within minutes he had shot Baumberg dead. He then walked into the street and handed the revolver to a Policeman. 

 His subsequent trial at the Old Bailey lasted just two days. The prosecutor and pathologist had both been involved in the Dr Crippen trial, the defence was conducted by Sir John Simon, Liberal M.P for Walthamstow and Attorney General in Lloyd George’s cabinet. The court was told that Baumberg’s former lover had been shot as a spy by the French, and that Baumberg himself was also under suspicion. 

The verdict was justifiable homicide making Lt. Malcolm the only man in British legal history to be found to have committed a “crime passionel” On the same page as the announcement of the Old Bailey proceedings, The Times reported that a London man had been sentenced to three weeks’ imprisonment for stealing three pounds of sugar from a sack at Liverpool Street. 

 Lt. Malcolm returned to France shortly after the trial, and on 20th October 1918 was awarded the M.C. whilst acting as a F.O.O. at Briestre, with A/211 brigade R.F.A. He was promoted to Captain shortly before the Armistice. 

 At the age of 16 Derek Malcolm was rummaging through a drawer in his father’s desk when he found a copy of “The Judges and The Damned” by criminologist Edgar Lustgarten; The chapter entitled “Mr Justice McCardie tries Lieutenant Malcolm” has been torn from the book. 

  The Malcolm’s remained married until Captain Malcolm died in 1969.

 Shortly after the death of his father, Derek Malcolm received a postcard from his Aunt Phyllis which informed him that his real father was the Italian Ambassador to London. 

 

 

[MaureenE]

4 hours ago, charlie2 said:

The map you show is from Vol 13 of the German OH, which isn‘t the clearest map in the first place as it is (in the 1956 edition) a copy of the original colour map, little wonder it isn‘t very readable.

https://digi.landesbibliothek.at/viewer/image/AC03617667/527/

 

Charlie

There is a map which includes colour  from the University of Hamburg digital file (digital page 530)

https://digitalisate.sub.uni-hamburg.de/de/nc/detail.html?tx_dlf[id]=5016&tx_dlf[page]=530&cHash=d1cff81788c09213fd347e1fd4ece382

 

 

8 hours ago, Marilyne said:

I see that Dr Hicks wrote two novels also about the war: "the dead of Mametz" and "Demons walk among us" ... anyone read them??? any good?? 

 

Both these books are available to read online in the Archive.org Books to Borrow scheme, where you can borrow for one hour, and generally re-borrow at the end of the hour (or if not, at a later time). The first book is also available for a loan of up to 14 days, where you can also  I think download.

The Dead of Mametz

https://archive.org/details/deadofmametz0000hick

 

Demons walk among us

https://archive.org/details/demonswalkamongu0000hick

 

Cheers

Maureen

 

[Black Maria]

Just finished 'Captain Wilfrid Barham'  , the diary of an officer in the 1st Buffs on the Western front in the early months of the war . It was first published

for private circulation after the war and interestingly the new edited edition has the number that were originally printed ( 12 in leather binding and 25 in cloth ) .

As well as the diary it also includes photos Wilfrid took before he was forced to return his camera home in April 1915 , he was killed by a stray shell behind the

front line at Ypres in October 1915 .

Edited 3 November , 2020 by Black Maria

[barkalotloudly]

35 minutes ago, Black Maria said:

Just finished 'Captain Wilfrid Barham'  , the diary of an officer in the 1st Buffs on the Western front in the early months of the war . It was first published

for private circulation after the war and interestingly the new edited edition has the number that were originally printed ( 12 in leather binding and 25 in cloth ) .

As well as the diary it also includes photos Wilfrid took before he was forced to return his camera home in April 1915 , he was killed by a stray shell behind the

front line at Ypres in October 1915 .

a very scarce that took me long time to find ! {a cloth binding }

[Dust Jacket Collector]

Sadly I don’t have the Barham. Interestingly that’s the first time we’ve seen a definite figure put on the number of copies printed for a memorial volume. Clearly they’re even scarcer than we thought.

[Black Maria]

29 minutes ago, Dust Jacket Collector said:

Sadly I don’t have the Barham. Interestingly that’s the first time we’ve seen a definite figure put on the number of copies printed for a memorial volume. Clearly they’re even scarcer than we thought.

Yes , that's what i thought when i read it . 

 

2 hours ago, barkalotloudly said:

a very scarce that took me long time to find ! {a cloth binding }

I remember you saying you had found a copy , interestingly his great nephew ( the new book's editor ) says that " Over time one or two copies have come onto the

market some of which have been bought back by the ever expanding family " . The IWM were also given a copy as well as some of those who appeared in the book 

his school and university masters and the family .

[Marilyne]

@David Ridgus

@Maureene

Found it on kindl for 2€ and followed your advise... it's now somewhere down on the list, I guess I'll come to it one day. 

thanks for the tip both of you! 

 

M.