Trotter1587 Posted 2 January , 2014 Share Posted 2 January , 2014 I have recently purchased Charles Townsend's "When God Made Hell: The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq 1914-1921" off Amazon and am awaiting it's arrival. I would like to ask if any of our 'learned friends' would reccommend any other books on the Mesopotamia campaign in WW1? Perhaps any diaries too? I feel this is a somewhat forgotten sideshow in the war with greater events happening elsewhere and so I am looking to gain a better understanding of this campaign. Regards, Trotter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ridgus Posted 3 January , 2014 Share Posted 3 January , 2014 I have recently purchased Charles Townsend's "When God Made Hell: The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq 1914-1921" off Amazon and am awaiting it's arrival. I would like to ask if any of our 'learned friends' would reccommend any other books on the Mesopotamia campaign in WW1? Perhaps any diaries too? I feel this is a somewhat forgotten sideshow in the war with greater events happening elsewhere and so I am looking to gain a better understanding of this campaign. Regards, Trotter Then I think you've ordered the right book. I haven't read it myself, but based on the laudatory reviews bought it as a birthday present for a friend whose great-grandfather had been in the column attempting to relieve Kut. He really enjoyed it and said it gave him, for the first time, an understanding of what this 'sideshow' was all about. I would equate the book with 'The White War' and what that book did for the Italian front. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushfighter Posted 3 January , 2014 Share Posted 3 January , 2014 Trotts Greetings For modern narratives you have 'When God Made Hell' and 'Battles on the Tigris' by Ron Wilcox. However if you want the best of them all then get a copy of 'The Neglected War' by A.J. Barker - a masterpiece of concise informative prose from a military expert. I am sure that this is the foundation work that later authors followed. For eye-witness accounts of many battles, and therefore valuable because of the lack of hindsight and modern opinions, read the two volumes of 'The Long Road to Baghdad' by Edmund Candler. Free downloads at: https://archive.org/details/longroadtobaghda00canduoft and https://archive.org/details/longroadtobaghd02cand Happy reading! Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barkalotloudly Posted 3 January , 2014 Share Posted 3 January , 2014 "Surgery on Tresles" by Begg printed 1968 a very readable account by a medical officer of the early days of the campaign. regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trotter1587 Posted 3 January , 2014 Author Share Posted 3 January , 2014 Thank you all for the suggestions! Much appreciated! That's my Christmas spending sorted... Edmund Calder's books are a great find so thank you, Bushfighter. Trotter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 4 January , 2014 Share Posted 4 January , 2014 Trotter, there are some other online books accessible through the FIBIS Fibiwiki page "Mesopotamia Campaign", section "Historical books online" http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php/Mesopotamia_Campaign#Historical_books_online Here is an alternative link to that given on the Fibiwiki page for A dweller in Mesopotamia, being the adventures of an official artist in the garden of Eden https://archive.org/details/dwellerinmesopot00maxw Cheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbo Posted 4 January , 2014 Share Posted 4 January , 2014 Barker's book was republished by Enigma Books in 2009 under the title 'The First Iraq War 1914-1918.' It has an introduction by Joseph Morrison Skelly, a US academic, but Barker's text is unaltered. The original US edition of 'The Neglected War' was called 'The Bastard War.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Maria Posted 10 January , 2014 Share Posted 10 January , 2014 A few memoirs = On the Road to Kut by 'Black Tab', Hutchinson 1917 From Gallipoli to Bagdhad by Ewing, H&S 1917 Other Ranks of Kut by P.W Long, Williams & Norgate1938 A Prisoner with the Turks by R.F Lushington, Hockliffe 1923 The Secrets of a Kuttite E.O Mousley, Bodley Head 1921 In Kut and Captivity with the Sixth Indian Division by W.W.C Sands ,Murray 1919 With a Highland Regiment in Mesopotamia by H.J Blampied , Bombay Times Press 1918 Mons, Anzac and Kut by A. Herbert, Hutchinson 1930 A Kut Prisoner by H.Bishop, John Lane 1920 Mesopotamia 1914-15 by H.B Reynardson,Melrose 1919 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trotter1587 Posted 11 January , 2014 Author Share Posted 11 January , 2014 Many thanks all Townsend's book arrived this week.. now for feet up, mug of tea and a good evening's reading! Trotter Before potential Googling of Blackmaria's list of memoirs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 27 June , 2015 Share Posted 27 June , 2015 Can anyone tell me if any of these books deals with the RN presence on the Tigris? Thanks! sJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 28 June , 2015 Share Posted 28 June , 2015 The FIBSI Fibiwiki page, mentioned in post 6 above, has links to a number of online books about the Navy in Mesopotamia which I copy here The Navy in Mesopotamia, 1914 to 1917 by Conrad Cato 1917 Archive.org World War I Naval Staff Monographs. Select Volume 4: Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf to download a pdf. Published London July 1921. Royal Australian Navy website (Select Media Room/Publications/World War I Naval Staff Monographs). This publication is also available to read online at the Qatar Digital Library History of the Great War based on official documents: Naval Operations.Volumes I-III by Sir Julian Stafford Corbett, Volumes IV-V by Henry Newbolt. Published 1920-1931. Archive.org Volume III Includes Mesopotamia. Volume IV, includes Mesopotamia. World War 1 at Sea - Contemporary Accounts: The Navy Records Society and The Naval Review Scroll down to Part 2, Naval Review letter M “Mesopotamia & Persian Gulf”, then access the articles mentioned in the Naval Review Archives. naval-history.net Also The Inland Water Transport in Mesopotamia compiled by Lieut.-Col. L. J. Hall 1921 Archive.orgCheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 28 June , 2015 Share Posted 28 June , 2015 That's very kind of you to take so much trouble, Maureen. Thanks! sJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushfighter Posted 28 June , 2015 Share Posted 28 June , 2015 Maureen is one of our most dedicated researchers and information specialists. Long may she continue ! Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgranger Posted 28 June , 2015 Share Posted 28 June , 2015 There is also a fairly recent book 'Gunboats on the Tigris' but I can't recall the author. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgranger Posted 29 June , 2015 Share Posted 29 June , 2015 It's title is actually 'Tigris Gunboats' and the author was Vice-Admiral W Nunn, and it was originally published in 1932, reissued in 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 29 June , 2015 Share Posted 29 June , 2015 Thanks Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James A Pratt III Posted 1 July , 2015 Share Posted 1 July , 2015 Other books on Mespot: The Siege Kut death of an Army Ends and Means also at archive.org In the Clouds above Baghdad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancashire Posted 10 July , 2015 Share Posted 10 July , 2015 All, SJ What are you looking for on the RN Tigris area? Kut and Captivity 6th Indian Division, goes into operational observations, like the destruction of the Firefly, and various actions of some of the other RN Boats and of course the Bridging Unit Activities under the authors command (Sandes), its actually a good read it. The Death of an Army M Ronald from my searches only gets 2.5 stars reviews - has any one read it and comments please The British Army in Mesopotamia, 1914–1918 Paul KnightPrint ISBN: 978-0-7864-7049-5 Ebook ISBN: 978-0-7864-9304-3 17 photos, 26 maps any comments! The Mesopotamia Mess Paperback The British Invasion of Iraq in 1914 What We Could Have and Should Have Learned Jack Bernstein As between you and Maureen who told me about it (you both have been helping me out), thanks. Maureen also which bit are you researching on this campaign, I think we need to add our reviews of the books listed if possible too. regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 10 July , 2015 Share Posted 10 July , 2015 All, SJ What are you looking for on the RN Tigris area? Kut and Captivity 6th Indian Division, goes into operational observations, like the destruction of the Firefly, and various actions of some of the other RN Boats and of course the Bridging Unit Activities under the authors command (Sandes), its actually a good read. regards John Hi John, Thanks for your interest. This all started from the story of Surgeon Dermot Loughlin RN aboard 'Comet', the command of E.C. Cookson, VC. I've become interested in the whole campaign but more particularly in the medical supply chain and administration as far as it involved the Tigris flotilla. sJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancashire Posted 10 July , 2015 Share Posted 10 July , 2015 SJ, Siege of Kut, the doctors were kept busy as of January 24th, Officers hospital was at #1 A Avenue, no x ray machine available, sickness from the rains / weather sanitation meant an amount of sickness almost unavoidable in our unhealthy surroundings. From Kut and Captivity 6th Indian Division. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 10 July , 2015 Share Posted 10 July , 2015 Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now