Memoirs of Sir James Edmonds

[MartH]

This has just arrived, from Tom, link here http://www.tomdonovaneditions.com/tde_edmonds.html

Had a quick look, it looks a superb production, in slip case.

Will do a proper review later.

[Old Tom]

I see the price is £ 85

Old Tom

[MartH]

Actually with postage it's £90.

[Steven Broomfield]

I have the IOM book, and I must say it is a superb piece of work. Personally, I'd say £90 for Edmonds' book is actually an investment.

I shall almost certainly be ordering a copy. I'm slightly miffed he didn't write to me! (Tom Donovan, that is, not Edmonds. That would be spooky!).

[MartH]

This is not a review, but a taste.

Its 490 pages slightly larger than a Medical Official History also by my desk and I am reading it when I am writing a report and stop for a break. The style of writing is different to the dry official history, and is very readable, one wishes that he had used a little of that style in writing the OH. Oh and what a gossip!

It's a beautiful production, in a slip case, high quality paper, clear text, and footnotes, in all a joy to read for us with reading glasses, and I hadn't realised till now how the memoirs had already been used in some seminal works. Tom has also found the missing 3 chapters. I think his book will be quoted now in other works.

His insights are illuminating when talking about battalion histories, with respect to divisional and the hierarchy, Martin G will find that bit useful.

One thing the book is giving me is the sense of Edmonds being a really hard worker with a prodigious output, and I am beginning to think that without him in charge the OH could have gone the way of the Canadian one. Now if that had happened we'd all be all stuffed, because the records would no longer exist and the OH would not be complete and would not have triggered other military history books.

It's also got a lot about the Victorian Army, you can see why Tom choose to publish it, full of insights rarely seen elsewhere.

So is it worth £90? Well that depends, if you are interested in the Victorian Army, the education of officers that became senior officers in the Great War, the historiography of the Great War, and a memoir that did not expected to be published and hence is frank in its judgements. Or if you like books with high production values too. - Seriously consider it. £90 is not a small amount but I am a great believer in buying quality not quantity.

As Steve says it is an investment and I am kicking myself I did not get the IOM volume which is out of print and sought after!

[keithmroberts]

OK I'm sold on it. Another selfie gift reserved.

Keith

[MartH]

Ok the contents, as you can see there is not a huge number of pages on the Official History but more about his life and career.

Contents

Editors Introduction viii

Authors Preface xix

Chapter I Early Days 1

Chapter II The Royal Military Academy Woolwich 1879-81 6

Chapter III The School of Military Engineering,

Chatham and the Army in the Eighties 16

Chapter IV Malta 1884-81 37

Chapter V Hong Kong 1885 41

Chapter VI Japan in 1885 55

Chapter VII Hong Kong and North China 1886-88 64

Chapter VIII Canada and USA 1888 83

Chapter IX The SME Chatham and the RMA

Woolwich 1888-95 95

Chapter X Three Months in Russian 1891

Chapter XI The Armies of the Great Powers in the

Eighties and Nineties as I Saw Them 112

Chapter XII The Staff College 1896-97; Haig,

Allenby, Robertson and Dyer 135

Chapter XIII Jamaica and the American-Spanish War

1898 156

Chapter XIV The Intelligence Division: the South Africa

War 1899-1902 173

Chapter XV South Africa in Peacetime 1902-03 200

Chapter XVI East Coast of Africa, Egypt, Greece and

Home 1904 212

Chapter XVII General Staff War Office Intelligence

Division 1904-06, The Army Council,

Russo-Japanese War, Geneva Conference 219

Chapter XVIII General Staff War Office Intelligence

Division, 1906-10 235

Chapter XIX The Civil Service as Seen from the War

Office, 1904-10 261

Chapter XX The Fourth Division in Peacetime,

1911-14, Preparations for War 278

Chapter XXI War : August 1914 299

Chapter XXII The Battle of le Cateau, the Retreat on

Paris, The Battles of the Marne and the

Aisne 310

Chapter XXIII War: Flanders, Military Engineering 329

Chapter XXIV The War Year – by – Year 1915: Gas and

Nibbling 360

Chapter XXV The War Year – by – Year 1916: Statesmen

and Generals 371

Chapter XXVI The War Year – by – Year 1917: The French

Mutinies and Passchendale 387

Chapter XXVII The Winter of 1917-18, The Eve of the

Storm, The Supreme War Council 401

Chapter XXVIII Five German Offensives March-July 1918 412

Chapter XXIX The Final Offensive August-November

1918 427

Chapter XXX The Historical Section of the Committee

Of Imperial Defence 1919-49 437

Chapter XXXI The Years Between the Wars 1919-39 457

Chapter XXXII My Last Active Decade 1939-49 473

Index 490

[Steven Broomfield]

All right - you've sold it to us!

[MartH]

Not selling, it's £90, a lot for a book, though I have paid more - lots more, but that was for a book not in print being a collector.

I was trying to give forum members the information to make their own decision.

[Steven Broomfield]

Mart - I wasn't implying you were. I merely meant you had sold the idea of buying it. (And I have also paid a lot more for a book - though Mrs B doesn't necessarily know, so keep it to yourself).

[squirrel]

I've put my details in for a copy as well - expensive yes but appears to be worth it for the insights in the various chapters.

[PhilB]

I was intrigued by this bit:-

"At Staff College, Edmonds made the acquaintance of the Armys future leaders, notably the dour Haig, to whom Edmonds was effectively assigned as intellectual mentor by the Professor of Military History, George Henderson"

Was this the normal Staff College version of an undergraduate being assigned a postgraduate as tutor?

[MartH]

I was intrigued by this bit:-"At Staff College, Edmonds made the acquaintance of the Armys future leaders, notably the dour Haig, to whom Edmonds was effectively assigned as intellectual mentor by the Professor of Military History, George Henderson"Was this the normal Staff College version of an undergraduate being assigned a postgraduate as tutor?

Just had a quick scan, don't really think so Edomonds was far too detailed and Haig a generalist, so together they learnt new tricks. Only an educated guess, tell you what the book is written far better than the OH, what a missed opportunity!

[MartH]

Mart - I wasn't implying you were. I merely meant you had sold the idea of buying it. (And I have also paid a lot more for a book - though Mrs B doesn't necessarily know, so keep it to yourself).

Christ if my other half ever found out I been comparing most paid she'd contact Mrs B and warn her of the danger she is in!

Many of us buy and get advice off Tom, and I do like to support him, who knows what gems are in the pipeline? I am aware that many prefer paperbacks and so try and curb my bibliofiendness, but he has hit the ball out of the grounds with this production. Why has no one done it before?

[Steven Broomfield]

I don't want to make you jealous (no, really I don't) (well, maybe a little), but the IOM book is superb.

[Dust Jacket Collector]

I don't want to make you jealous (no, really I don't) (well, maybe a little), but the IOM book is superb.

I'm probably being extremely dense but what is the IOM book?

[MartH]

IOM = Indian Order of Merit, a definitive historical record according to his website.

[MartH]

I don't want to make you jealous (no, really I don't) (well, maybe a little), but the IOM book is superb.

I am a little, but you will have to buy the next 2 volumes to make a full set .

[Dust Jacket Collector]

Thanks Martin. I remember visiting Tom the day after he took delivery of the IOM volumes. They almost filled his hallway and he was wondering if he'd ever shift them all. Now I'm thinking I should have bought one!

[MartH]

Thanks Martin. I remember visiting Tom the day after he took delivery of the IOM volumes. They almost filled his hallway and he was wondering if he'd ever shift them all. Now I'm thinking I should have bought one!

Don't set Steve off, if two of the bibilofiends lament missing this book, he is going to be smug for weeks. If the Rant thread was still extant I would go and post a Rant about it

[Steven Broomfield]

Smug? Moi? Never. Well, hardly ever.

(And the Rant thread has begun anew).

[Dust Jacket Collector]

Don't set Steve off, if two of the bibilofiends lament missing this book, he is going to be smug for weeks. If the Rant thread was still extant I would go and post a Rant about it

Still, it doesn't compare to having an original Blockade though, does it?

[David Filsell]

Ordered. The thread was useful. I too seem to have slipped off Tom's mailing list!

[paulgranger]

I've put my name down - pray the GLW doesn't find out - but I'm in a quandary.Do I store it, untouched and pristine, safeguarding my investment, or do I read it, and presumably reduce its future value? Maybe Tom could issue a paperback reading copy to solve the dilemma.

[Steven Broomfield]

White cotton gloves. My wife would never hit a man wearing white cotton gloves.