Military and War
Phil Adams Idle and Dissolute
Just
received a copy of your book in the mail this morning and it is amazing!
I own 200+ Great War unit histories and yours has to be the best of all!
An excellent model for anyone writing a unit history to emulate.
Congratulations on a job very well done.
Dick Flory
This book is without doubt
the definitive history of the 160th (Wearside) Brigade.
It has been meticulously researched by the author who describes it
as both a 'labour of love' to a long lost relative and a ‘debt
of honour’ to all 2,500 men that served with the unit. The title of the
book The Idle and Dissolute is taken from
the ironic nickname given to the soldiers of the 160th (Wearside) Brigade
Royal Field Artillery during the early days of training in Co Durham. The
'I & D' name stuck and was proudly worn as a badge of honour by all who
served.
It
was public subscription that helped raise the Wearside Brigade in
March 1915, with local miners and shipyard
workers providing the backbone of the new unit.
However during the course of WW1 men from all parts of the British Isles
as well as from South Africa, America, Australia, Canada,
Mexico, China, France, Argentina and later India would
swell the ranks.
The
160th Brigade embarked for battlefields in northern
France during January 1916 and proceeded to take part in the famed battles
of The Somme, Arras, Passchendaele and the Great Offensives of 1918.
The
author Philip W. Adams interest in the 160th Brigade dates
back to his childhood, when he became fascinated by a photo of a
soldier hanging on a wall. All he knew was that it showed his grandfather's
brother, William Henry Adams, a Gunner with the Royal Field
Artillery who had been killed in the First World War.
The
old picture proved the inspiration Phil needed to start a 10
year research project into his uncle William and the 160th (Wearside) Brigade.
His investigations revealed that William and 59 of his comrades were among the
38,000 casualties suffered by the British Army on the 21st March
1918 – a fateful day that would prove to be both the darkest and finest hours
in the history of the Brigade.
By
the end of the Great War, the Wearside Brigade had suffered many casualties.
From the original 766 volunteers, that enlisted in Co Durham during
1915 and marched off to France in 1916, only 156 marched back into Sunderland,
for their ‘Welcome Home’ parade in 1919.
The men
of the Brigade were awarded 157 medals for gallantry.
This included four Distinguished Service Orders, nineteen Military
Crosses and ten Distinguished Conduct Medals. The Brigade was officially
disbanded in August 1919, but those who survived remained close friends. The
first of many reunions was held at the Palatine Hotel, in 1919, and the
meetings continued until the 1960s.
This
book is a must have, it weaves together private documents, photographs,
memories, letters and diaries, to tell for the first time the full story of
the Idle and Dissolute. Soldiers, so modest and humble about
their part in The Great War that the story of their deeds was never
fully recognised in their own lifetime.
Tony
Hare - Spanning the Century
Escaped Nazi Germany on the Voyage of the Damned to
enjoy a successful life in England.
Born in Northern Moravia in 1915 he escaped war torn
Europe in the Voyage of the Damned before serving with the allied forces during
and after World War II.
In 1947 he began a long career in the textile trade
then in 1968 he changed career and moved to London. He became Director of
Administration in a group of hotels until retiring in 1985. He is married with
four children and lives in Essex.
"[an]extraordinary and moving life story" - The Wanstead and Woodford Guardian
Harry Moses - The
Faithful Sixth A History of the 6th Battalion DLI
The
Durham Light Infantry was one of our finest Country Regiments. This is the
story, of the 6th Battalion DLI and of the best me from County
Durham who served first as Volunteers, and later as Territorials, and who
fought with such distinction in two World Wars.
The
author, Harry Moses, was born in Tow Law and recently retired as a headmaster.
He has long been fascinated by the history of the 6th DLI and this
book is the result of his many years of meticulous research.
"If you interested in local history then this is a must. Centred around Bishop Auckland it really brings home the pride that still exists within the county. These were Territorial and they gave there best and then more. A fantastic read. Hard to come by so get one if you can." - Anne Johnson (Middlesbrough)
Harry Moses, For Your Tomorrow A History of the 2
DLI
Following
re-organisation in 1919 the 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry
sailed to South Russia, then to Turkey before moving to India in 1920. It
remained in India for 16 years. On returning to England, it was part of the BEF
which moved to France in 1939. During the action on the River Dyle (Belgium) 2nd
Lt. Richard Annand won the first army VC in World War II. After suffering heavy
losses at St. Venant (France) in May 1939, the survivors of the Battalion
returned to England. Re-organised it sailed for India in April 1942. Involved
in fighting in the Arakan and at Kohima, the Battalion added to its laurels as
a fine fighting unit. Following the Japanese surrender, it sailed for Singapore
and took part in the disarming of the Japanese forces. For a short period it
formed the guard over Japanese war criminals in Changi Jail. Its final period
of service in the Far East was back in Burma in 1947 chasing Dacoit terrorists.
On returning to the UK it was placed on suspended animation until re-organised
in 1952. It served in Germany until final break up in 1955.
The book
covers the whole of the period of history from 1919 to 1955, particularly
through the eyes of those officers and soldiers who served with the Battalion
in peace and war, reinforced with over 50 photographs and 9 maps.
"I thouroughly recommend this book" - Gen. Sir Peter de la Billiere KCB, KBE, DSO, MC, DL
There have been many books written about the Durham Light Infantry, not a few by Harry Moses. "For Your Tomorrow - A History of the 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry 1919 - 1955" (published by The Memoir Club 2012) fills a gap in the bibliography of the Regiment, particularly the 2nd Battallion. Although other books have superficially covered the campaigns involving the Battalion during this period none have done it to the extent and depth of this particular book. Many of the campaigns have been long forgotten but Moses spares no effort in researching them. The real power of the book however lies in the recollections of the ordinary soldiers (most of whom are no longer with us). The appendices of Commanding Officers, Young Soldiers, Roll of Honour and Awards are invaluable to anyone researching this period.
I would strongly recommend this book to everyone, not just to those with an interest in this Regiment, it is a reminder of the costs of wars and of the resilience of ordinary men doing extraordinary things.
Major Peter Lawless - From Miner To Major
From
National Service to the regulars and into The Rifles, the author describes his
experiences in Africa, Asia and Europe in this intriguing memoir. A frank
account of a military career in the Royal Green Jackets, also known as The
Rifles, From Miner to Major is filled with an unassuming, irreverent sense of
humour rare in many army autobiographies. From Miner To Major vividly describes
the nature of life in the army. The challenges of maintaining a happy marriage
and a stable family life while serving around the world are captured here, as well
as the often difficult transition to civilian life. The book also serves as a
loving tribute to Peter’s late wife Enid, who supported him throughout his
career and out onto ‘Civvi Street’.
Mr Hornsey
"This is a very readable, honest and personal account of the early years of Major Peter Lawless" - Brigadier (Retd) Peter Lyddon MBE (late RGJ)
Bunny Cole - A Oxford Man
Before
the War Bunny Cole began to build a career as a solicitor and then when another
War seemed inevitable joining the Territorial Army and later enlisting in the
Royal Artillery and was posted to Burma. Awarded DSO and presented with his
ribbon in the field by Lord Louis
Mountbatten.
He was to be Chief Constable of Oxford. This is a factual account of an amazing
man who was loved and respected by many people.The story starts with his own
history of life in Oxford as the youngest son of the Chief Constable involving
the impact of the Great War upon the family.
After
that War building a career as a solicitor and then when another War seemed
inevitable joining the Territorial Army and later enlisting in the Royal
Artillery and being posted to Burma.
Commanding
British troops in the Battle of the Admin Box which led to the first defeat of
the Japanese Forces. Awarded DSO and presented with his ribbon in the field by
Lord Louis Mountbatten. After victory in 1945 returning “with a mission” to
support others in the provision of sporting facilities in the Oxford area by
the founding of the Oxford Sports Club. Returning to professional life and
entering into a partnership of solicitors (Cole & Cole) which became for a
time one of the largest in the country.
Continuing in the meantime the life of a family man until his death in
1991.
Described
by a former Lord Mayor of Oxford as “Bunny Cole is as much a part of Oxford as
Carfax” (the main crossing in the centre of Oxford).
Joan Bright Astley - The Inner Circle
Joan
Bright Astley performed two outstanding tasks for Britain and the anti-Nazi
combination. First, working in the
office of General Ismay. Secondly, it was her function to make in advance the
‘housekeeping’ arrangements – what General slept where. Many women played a
remarkable part during the Second World War, but certainly few more remarkable
than Mrs Astley. Her many friends in the
Allied countries knew her as Joan Bright in those days – for they preceded her
marriage. She performed two outstanding
tasks for Britain and the anti-Nazi combination. First, working in the office
of General Ismay, who as Chief of Staff to Churchill as Minister of Defence was
the lynch-pin of the British military effort, she organized and maintained a highly
confidential service of information to the Commanders in the field, which
enabled them to keep themselves ‘briefed’ on the secrets of what was happening
or to happen. It became habitual for,
say, Wavell just back from the desert to drop into Joan Bright’s information
room to ‘put himself in the picture’.
Thus she was able to observe from a very special angle, and on terms of
mutual confidence, most of Britain’s leading men-of-war.
Secondly,
as the war rolled on and the great Allied conferences burgeoned, it became her
function to make in advance the ‘housekeeping’ arrangements – what General
slept where, how the thousand necessities required for the domestic ordering of
such affairs would be supplied, and so on.
"I started off reading the book for what it could tell me about the relationships between the people at the top directing the war but it soon revealed more. A must for your own Christmas stocking?" - Anne Samson
Richard Mountford - A Life in the Day of a CRA
A
Life in the Day of a C.R.A. – The Story of a Cold War Soldier” is an
autobiographical account of the Cold War by a Royal Artillery officer whose 37
year military career was dominated by service in West Germany as part of the
British Army of the Rhine. The author served and trained in other parts of the
world – his story includes action in Aden and Kenya as well as Northern
Ireland, and training in many overseas locations. This is a human story – an
account of a soldier’s life at a time when one miscalculation could have led
the world into a nuclear holocaust. C.R.A. is the well known military
abbreviation for a Commander Royal Artillery, a position the author filled
twice during the Cold War with responsibilities that stretched from northern
Norway to eastern Turkey, but predominated on the plains of the northern part
of West Germany where the cauldron of war would have been centred should World
War 3 have started. That it did not owes much to the dedication of hundreds of
thousands of NATO soldiers whose presence deterred a Warsaw Pact attack. These
soldiers were ready for war 24 hours a day for 365 days a year, and for over 40
years. Their life style is described in detail along with the intensive
training required to remain ready for war.
"This well crafted, easy to read book will serve as a wonderful trip down memory lane for many thousands of ‘Cold War Warriors" - General Sir David Richards KCB CBE DSO ADC
Peter Horsefall - Hard to Believe : Too Old At Sixteen
Chronicles
the author's life in the Coldstream Guards and the House of Lords; he offers
some enlightening anecdotes about the public figures he has encountered during
his varied and colourful career. When Peter Horsfall tried to join the Royal
Marines in 1946 he found it hard to believe that he was Too Old At Sixteen. He
then turned to the Coldstream Guards and joined as a drummer boy. Thirty four
illustrious years later he retired as a Major Quartermaster, having served in
several ‘theatres of war’, from Malaya to Northern Ireland. Mixing humour with
pathos he provides a fascinating account of his service life – his Yorkshire
roots always evident. Upon retirement from the Coldstream Guards he became
Staff Superintendent at the House of Lords. His numerous anecdotes of
well-known public figures, including a fascinating perspective on Baroness
Thatcher, give a unique behind-the-scenes picture of this great institution.
Throughout
the book Peter Horsfall credits his success to the Coldstream Guards and is
proud to have lived up to the regiment’s moto, Second To None.
This
is a delightful and highly readable autobiography complemented beautifully by
Bill Tidy’s apposite cartoons.
"A very special book written by a very special man. Go out and buy it!" - Guards Magazine
Freddie Rawding - Life as Curious Travellor
Life
as a Curious Traveller” is a detailed account of the author’s travels and
adventures as both Teacher and Soldier, during the last years of the British
Imperium. His overseas service took him to Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Malaya
where he strengthened a deep attachment to Gurkha soldiers first forged in Hong
Kong. He also established a warm rapport with Malays. He became fluent in both
Nepali and Malay and absorbed much of the culture and spirit expressed in these
very beautiful tongues.
"The reader cannot but be mightily impressed by the sheer detail of the accounts of the author's travels, not only in Nepal and Malaya during his army service but later, both as soldier and civilian, in various parts of the Arab world." - Peter Whitaker
Keith M. Taylor - Whither The Fates Call
An
action packed and honest account of one young man's experience of National
Service in the Far East during the 1950s, taken from letters that he wrote
home. This is a true adventure story! It took place between 1950-1952 and in
today's parlance might be described as a 2 year gap year. At that time,
National Service, as it was known, was compulsory for all British 18 year old
men, still 3 years from being entitled to vote, and lasting for up to two
years. Between 1945 and 1960, some 2.3 million young men were called up in
peace time. For many it was a necessary evil to be completed as soon as
possible before embarking on further education or a career. For others, it was
a welcome alternative to unemployment or a means,
hopefully,
of deciding what to do with one's life.
The
author was a prodigious letter writer and from the day he entered the Guards
Depot at Caterham, Surrey, to the day he disembarked from the troopship Empire
Pride in Liverpool from the Far East, he wrote 208 letters home. These letters,
meticulously kept in chronological
order,
together with his photographs, provide a unique record of one person's National
Service experience in the British Army. The experiences, retold in these
unedited letters, range from boredom to underfire action in the war in Korea as
a junior infantry officer. They include vivid descriptions of arduous training
at battlecamps as far from each other
as
Dartmoor in Devon to Hara Mura in Japan, smuggler hunting on the Hong
Kong/Chinese border, rowdy Officer's Mess nights, leave in Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
via the Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean, an aircraft crash landing in Manila
and learning to manage men under stressful conditions.
Keith
Taylor recalls his experiences with a discerning eye, a sense of humour and a
great respect for British National Servicemen of all backgrounds. The motto of
his Regiment, the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, (Fifth of Foot) is QUO FATA
VOCANT the translation of which provides the title of the book.
"Whither the fates is quite superb and brought back to me so many memories" - Hugh Wilbraham
Neville Pughe - Elusive Glory
Very
personal, often intimate, account of Neville Pughe's life. A bitter sweet story
of a frustrated Royal Marine who finds release in Army life. Starting with
wartime Plymouth when the family home was destroyed, he tells of schooldays in
Devon and the disappointment of not following family tradition into the Royal
Marines. He embarks instead on an Army career, winning the Queen’s Medal at
Sandhurst. Highlights include two spells of duty with Airborne Forces, enjoyed
despite breaking a leg, and two periods of danger and excitement in Northern
Ireland, with regrets over missed opportunities to ambush IRA gangs. After some
fascinating regimental tours and command of a unique artillery regiment, the
author describes his involvement with the Falklands campaign followed by a tour
as a Military Attaché in Washington, including an intriguing episode with a
potential Soviet defector. Then, as Brigadier and Defence Attaché at the
British Embassy in Bonn, he recounts professional relations with colleagues and
lasting German friendships which lead to his founding the British-German
Officers’ Association. Finally, after a brief and enjoyable spell in command of
a ‘mini-brigade’ in the UK, the author is appointed on retirement as Chief
Executive of a Borough Council. This sense-of-humour-testing experience brings
to an end forty two kaleidoscopic years of public service, the flag bravely
followed by his wife. He now lives in retirement on the Wiltshire/Dorset
border.
"This is a well written , entertaining and lively story" "Would i recommend this book? Unhesitatingly" - Old Exonian Club
Oscar Craig and Alasdair Fraser - Doctors at War
A
joint effort from Oscar Craig and Alasdair Fraser, Doctors At War takes the
reader on a journey through the conflicts of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Letters and editorials from the archives at St Mary's Hospital Medical School
are used to give the reader a range of first-hand accounts of war from the
perspective of doctors. The result of hard work and diligent research, Doctors
at War delivers an intriguing, interesting and sometimes horrifying record of
the war experiences of doctors. A chronological approach is taken, from the end
of the 19th century and the Benin expedition of 1897 through both world wars
and various conflicts in between, giving a picture of the changing social
climate. There are descriptions of the dreadful conditions on battlefields in
the late 19th century and letters from civilians during the siege of Ladysmith.
By the time of the Second World War, letter writing was significantly reduced:
letters were subject to censorship and the art of letter writing considered no
longer important. However, from this period are letters not only from all parts
of the globe but also from prisoner-of-war camps including Belsen, the Japanese
camps and the devastation of Nagasaki. The compilers of this book have worked
diligently to produce an outstanding in-depth account of doctors engaged in
duties during wartime.
"The dramatic readings of the letters were very moving
and the book is fascinating." Miss Janet Holland, Operational Projects
Manager in the Faculty of Medicine
Ray Gerard Smith - The Silver Lining
Ray
Smith tells of his experience during the war years, from just prior to his
enlistment to the last day of service. He took to flying immediately and became
one of the RAF’s intrepid fighter pilots. With characteristic unassuming
modesty he tells of many occasions when his life was in grave danger. This is the real-life story of deeds which
are beginning to fade from memory but it is to people like Ray Smith that we
owe our country’s freedom.
"Very pleasant and interesting auto-biography" - RAF Quarterly
Robin Fletcher - A Favouring Wind
A
picture of a boy from a privileged middle class background growing up in the
shadow of three elder brothers. Robin Fletcher excelled in academic and
sporting spheres. Three years of study at Oxford followed War Service. It also
gave opportunity for hockey, and eventually led to a place on the British
Olympic Hockey team. The last two years at Oxford were spent studying Modern
Greek, which led to an appointment in that subject, held for 30 years. Fortune
smiled again with the offer of a Fellowship as Domestic Bursar from Trinity
College, a position he held for 24 years. His career was completed by ten years
of service as Warden of Rhodes House and Secretary to the Rhodes Trust.The
Second World War was spent first as an Ordinary Seaman on HMS Gambia and later
as an officer on Special Service in Egypt and the Eastern Aegean, and finishing
on a minesweeping trawler in home waters with the rank of Lieutenant RNVR.
David Willison - Memoirs of an intelligent Sapper
In
Memoirs of an Intelligence Sapper, David Willison recalls his life as a Royal
Engineer officer through the Second World War and for the subsequent forty
years. He describes not only his life as a sapper but also his involvement in
military intelligence from Colonel to Deputy Under Secretary. David Willison's
memoirs give the observations of a man whose fifteen years as a military
intelligence officer saw him travel to most parts of the world. He gives his
own insight into the politico-military situation as the time of his to the
likes of Egypt and Berlin at crucial points in the twentieth century. The
author offers reflections on the way intelligence is gathered and the role of
intelligence reporting, with particular relevance to modern events. He also
gives a frank account of his five years as Chief Royal Engineer, which saw
private and public meetings with Her Majesty the Queen. This is an engaging,
informative memoir and will interest a wide range of readers, not only those
interested in the military.
"He has produced a fascinating memoir of great personal interest and historical value" - Major-General L Scott-Bowden CBE, DSO, MC
Jeremy Mitchell - Shrapnel and whizzbangs
Shrapnel and
Whizzbangs is the story of George Oswald Mitchell (G.O.M.), one of the few British soldiers who served
right through the First World War from its outbreak on 5th August
1914 up to and beyond the Armistice on 11th November 1918. His view
of the war was initially that of a private in the infantry, seeing front line
action in the spring and summer of 1915 with the 1/6th Battalion
West Yorkshire Regiment in and around Neuve Chapelle as well as the Ypres
salient. He was then, as a corporal, one of the first members of the Royal
Engineers Special Companies, launching the massive gas attack on the first day
of the Battle of Loos on 25th September 1915. Promoted to sergeant,
G.O.M. took part in many other gas attacks during the remaining three years of
the war. He was finally commissioned as a second-lieutenant before being
demobilised in 1919.
Written by his son, Jeremy, Shrapnel and Whizzbangs is based on the trench diary and notes that
G.O.M. wrote at the time, crouched in a dug-out or lying on a pile of straw in
a barn behind the lines. It brings to life the extraordinary mixture of
hardship, fear, excitement and boredom experienced by the millions of ordinary
soldiers who made the abrupt transition from civilian life to the mud and blood
of the Western Front.
"an extraordinary testimony which adds to the canon of First World War literature" - Scottish Legion News
Available on http://www.thememoirclub.co.uk/ email: memoirclub@msn.com or tel 01913735660
with card details and address
