A Tommy at Ypres

[David Filsell]

Felt a review of this book well worth posting - it is terrific

A Tommy at Ypres,

Amberley Publishing, Gloucs., £ 12.99, 367 pp, 22 ills., glossary, chronological list of characters, 3 maps, location listings, ISBN 9781445613680.

I have absolutely no hesitation in describing Walter Hutton’s diaries as being amongst the very best soldier’s diaries that I have ever read. It is the work of a well educated ranker, a diarist with an acute and telling eye for detail of places, of events, and his comrades.

Each of Walter Williamson’s diary entries, from 25th June 1916 and 9^th February 1919, is long and exquisitely detailed. He served as an infantryman, a signaller and, later, in the orderly room of 6^th Bn Cheshire Regiment and, the finally the amalgamated, 6^th and 11^th Battalions. (118^th Infantry Brigade, 39^th Division; from February 29^th, 75^th Brigade, 25^th Division and finally, from 8^th July, 21^st Brigade, 30^th Division)

The diary has the veracity and detail of a genuine contemporary diariy, rather than a post-war compilation of brief notes, the author the ability to maintain a firm grasp of friendships and events humorous and tragic. Throughout he maintains a fresh and penetrating eye. There is no hesitation in his authorship, no deviation in his life which is irrelevant and very no page lacks interest.

While his service mirrored that of most who served, Walter Williamson had a wonderful eye for the details of everyday life in and out of the lines. During the long dog days of a march he is able to bring the agonies of negotiating pave to life, describe the pain and difficulty of hauling the Lewis gun cart over shell damaged roads. At rest he describes the comradeship, the pleasures and the desperation of brief hours of pleasure. Not least, for the first time in my reading, the humour, sensitivity, dangers and boredoms of the day to day work of battalion in and out of the line is brought to life.

This is not merely a good book; it is one which provides a perceptive and valuable reference to a single soldier’s life in the Great War. It is a work from which quotations will be plundered by authors in the future. If you only succumb to buying one new book about the Great War this year a Tommy at War should be it.

.

[John_Hartley]

And a link to my review in April last year.

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=179392&hl=%2Btommy+%2Bypres

[paulgranger]

Not to carp, but is the chap's surname Hutton or Wiiliamson, and is the book title 'A Tommy at Ypres' or 'A Tommy at War'? Other than that, it does look like an attractive proposition.

[John_Hartley]

He was Walter Williamson. And the book title is "A Tommy at Ypres - Walter's War".

And, just to complete, the front cover , it reads "The diary and letters of Walter Williamson, complied by Doreen Priddey".

John

[tootrock]

Checking via the ISBN number given above, he is called Walter Williamson, and the title is "A Tommy in Ypres".

Martin

[paulgranger]

^{Yes, I'm sorry, i was being mean-spirited, there was enough info to check it out, apologies.}

^{I've looked on Amazon, and see that there is a Kindle edition, but that seems to be only half the length of the physical book as it's shown to be only 192 pages. Accepting that 'pages' are a bit meaningless on a Kindle, I think I'll opt for the proper book in case the Kindle version is somehow abridged.}

[David Filsell]

Apologies - the author is Walter Williamson. The error crept because of sheer stupidity!

[MikeyH]

Picked this book up by chance at the local Library the other day, never having heard of it before. Very pleasantly surprised and agree with David in #1, a superb book. It does really deserve to be better known. Walter Williamson did not see a great deal of front line action, his time from June 1916 mostly spent as a signaller and a company clerk in the Orderley Room of the 6th Battalion of the 'Cheshires'. He is able to bring a light wry humorous touch to his detailed descriptions of the episodes of his service life. He recounts the apparent organised chaos and the constant moves behind the lines very well, and the sheer difficulty of finding your unit if separated for any number of reasons. His fellow soldiers and friends are brought to life in a manner that makes you feel as if you really know them

Probably the best diary/journal style of book relating to the Great War that I have encountered.

Mike.

[Khaki]

Great reviews, I have just ordered a copy.

thanks

khaki

[WilliamRev]

Thanks for this, a book that I had somehow overlooked before - I too have found a cheap second-hand copy (15p plus £2.80 postage) on Amazon - using the forum link of course, and eagerly await its' arrival. I am wary of any memoirs/diaries that were written after the war, and a diary written at the time, even if it was elaborated days or weeks later when time allowed, is something that I am looking forward to reading. Anyone interested in WW1 memoirs might find my tread Autobiographies Anonymous of interest.

William

[Khaki]

Thanks for the list William,

I had a look through from memory, and have thirteen of those titles. Will look for the rest.

khaki

[WilliamRev]

Thanks for the list William,

I had a look through from memory, and have thirteen of those titles. Will look for the rest.

khaki

Hi Khaki

If you read through the thread there are plenty of other suggestions - I think that I have so far bought another twenty or so titles after recommendations by others on this thread, including "With a Machine Gun to Cambrai", "Field Guns in France", "Mud and Khaki", and "General Jack's Diaries".

William