Casualty and Medical Statistics, Need Help, Some Research

[MartH]

I am trying to understand the compilation and distribution of the final Volume of the Great War Medical Official Histories, Casualty and Medical Statistics, anybody with any thoughts on the below, would be most gratefully received.

Now the collection of the data for the Medical History started before the military, and was more fully resourced than the Military effort in the UK until 1917 when the costs where fully absorbed by the War Office.

It had over 20 million record cards and 38 thousand War Diaries, and published reports during the war.

After Treasury cutbacks the planned publications were:

General History of the Medical Services - Four volumes.

The Diseases of the War and the Medical Aspects of Aviation and Gas Warfare - Two volumes. This became Diseases of the War where the second volume had an additional secondary title: Including the Medical Aspects of Aviation and Gas Warfare, and Gas Poisoning in Tank and Mines.

The Surgery of the War - Two volumes.

The Hygiene of the War - Two volumes.

Pathology and Medical Research during the War - One volume. This became Pathology, dropping Medical Research.

The Medical Statistics and Epidemiology of the War - One volume. Epidemiology being dropped.

All these cuts where due to the Treasury especially the removal Epidemiology and Research parts, which where very costly and where due to based upon the 20 million record cars, but this was curtailed and stopped in many instances, the statistics being produced from 2 sample sets of half a million, though it appears only the cards filled in on the Western Front where of any value. The cards where then moved on to the Ministry of Pensions, a startling statistic is that 40% of those whose served not from the Domionions or other Overseas territories where paid compensation.

Now eleven volumes where produced rapidly in 2 years but the last one took 10 years, and was published in 1931 which indicates how hard it was to produce it appears a typed errata slip was issued dated War Office Oct. 1932 and sent out to existing copies to be pasted in, a year after publication. The sending out of the typed errata slip suggests the War Office keep a record of who had a copy, remember this was the last volume so it could not be issued with a later volume as was the normal practice.

Now the last volume in its original form is incredibly scarce and I am not too sure if any where ever sold, and then the remaining copies where destroyed during the Second World War. There were objections in the government, for example from Churchill that the Official History should not put Britain in a bad light.

In nearly 30 years of collecting I have not seen a non ex library copy, or one that had not been rebound. I am not sure it was ever sold to the public.

So I have some questions that somebody hopefully can answer, all thoughts gratefully received:

1. Can anybody give any more information on the writing of Casualties and Medical Statistics?

1. Does anybody have an Original copy with the typed errata slip?

1. Does anybody have an Original copy which did not go to a library, or was not issued through official channels, a copy that was sold to a private individual? And if so does it have the typed errata slip?

[Dust Jacket Collector]

My copy is sadly ex-library but as that library is that of the Ministry of Defence that's probably acceptable. The binding, still quite bright, matches that of the others in the series i.e. dimpled green cloth with gilt titling on the spine. I've looked through it and can find no trace of an errata slip. Maybe it fell out during frequent!! viewings by MOD staff.

It still infuriates me to see in what little regard these books are held by those in power. I have several more from the MOD, Home Office & IWM.

I suppose it's scarcity now isn't necessarily an indicator of low initial circulation. I've come across several books from the same period which originally sold in their thousands but are now virtually unobtainable. The question of which books survive and which don't is somewhat of a mystery.

[MartH]

Alan, I too have books in my collection which should never have been released, Foreign Office Library, Cabinet Office and Reicharchiv.

Whilst I agree scarcity now is not necessarily an indicator of low initial circulation, a low initial circulation does in fact produce a scare book now.

What I am trying to do with this topic is see if the War Office kept a record of where copies were sent and see if any where sold to the General Public, as I said in nearly 30 years of looking I have not seen one, nor have several top notch military dealers. I don't think it was sold, released but not put in shops.

I would be interested in your view as an ex medical researcher as to whether the statistics can be trusted there is an overview at the start of the volume in the preface, the progress seems very tortuous, and I quote

THIS volume records over eleven million casualties sus-
tained by the British Expeditionary Forces at home and
in the various campaigns overseas during the Great War. In
that figure are included both the casualties of the battlefield
and those occasioned by disease and injury. It is not the grand
total, for there were many unavoidable omissions in the records.

and

No further progress in preparing the volume could be made
until the register of index cards was completed. This was
accomplished by December 1921, and the Ministry of Pensions
was then in a position to codify and tabulate the statistical
information required for it. In order to facilitate completion, it
had been decided to limit statistics in detail to some fifty of
the more important diseases and to group the remainder under
their appropriate systems. It was also decided, in January
1922, that it would be necessary to restrict the statistical
information to that relating to British troops only and not to
proceed with the compilation of statistics relating to Dominion
troops as was originally intended. Rising hopes were, however,
doomed to disappointment. The Ministry of Pensions esti-
mated that a further sum of £12,000 would be required to
carry out the additional work essential for the final volume
even on the modified scale. Eventually a compromise was
effected, and it was decided to abandon the original scheme of
a complete analysis of the 23 million cards. An examination
of two sample sets, each of about 500,000 cards relating to
British troops only, was deemed to be sufficiently satisfactory.
The work was carried out on these lines, and two sets of
statistical tables, compiled by the Ministry of Pensions, were
given to the medical directorate in the War Office early in 1924.
In May of that year, these tables, together with the statistics
for 1914 and 1915, prepared by the Medical Research Council,
were handed over to Major T. J. Mitchell, R.A.M.C., Assistant

The German Statistics are often under fire, I have serious doubts about the British Dominions and Empire now.

[Guest]

You might find some leads in Mark Harrison's epic "The Medical War: British Military Medicine in the First World War". Page 96 discusses the Medical Research Committtee and the Army Medical Department - there are some footnotes providing references on the research background. Too many to mention here but the bibliography may provides some paths to follow.

I suspect somewhere in the labyrinth TNA there will be a minute discussing the publication and correspondence between various departments.

[MartH]

You might find some leads in Mark Harrison's epic "The Medical War: British Military Medicine in the First World War". Page 96 discusses the Medical Research Committtee and the Army Medical Department - there are some footnotes providing references on the research background. Too many to mention here but the bibliography may provides some paths to follow.

I suspect somewhere in the labyrinth TNA there will be a minute discussing the publication and correspondence between various departments.

Thank Martin I will investigate, I too suspect in TNA there will much correspondence on said volume.

[Dust Jacket Collector]

Martin,

With regard to the stats., taking 2 large sample groups, albeit rather a small percentage of the whole, would I think give a reasonably accurate picture. It's a not uncommon way of avoiding vast amounts of number crunching. In my time as a researcher we were blessed with computers or in the earlier days with primitive calculators (I recall spending £323 of my departments money on a calculator in 1971 which could only perform the 4 basic mathematical functions). The thought of tabulating 23 million records by hand doesn't bear thinking about. Personally I'd place a fair degree of reliance on the figures in the book, allowing for the limitations flagged up in the introduction.

I wonder if any of the Medical set were sold to the public - every one I have derives from one library or another.

Given that setting up the type & proof-reading it were amongst the most expensive and time consuming aspects of book production then the print numbers given in each volume are probably a long way short of the numbers actually bound up for sale. They were probably just being overly cautious - the paper could easily be pulped and used again.

I've seen the Stats volume 3 times over the years but some of the others like Hygiene or Surgery don't seem to occur any more often. One wonders who might have bought these books anyway outside of major libraries - they weren't exactly cheap.

[ss002d6252]

It appears that the casualty & stats book was certainly available for public sale but whether anyone paid the £55.00 or so (modernish equivalent) I don't know.

Craig

[Guest]

From my reading of Green's "Writing the Great War" the Treasury was very forceful with the Historical Section ensuring they were maximising the commercial opportunities for the OH. I cant see why a Govt would suppress or limit the sale of this tome. The contents are quite positive in many ways. It looks to me as if the pricing point was not particularly far sighted.

Have you thought of contacting HMSO? They might have records on the numbers in the print run.

MG

[MartH]

Everyone thank you for your comments, Alan thanks for the comments on the approach.

I am trying to establish several things with this topic, the prime one being was this volume in principle was made available to the public, but where copies ever sold that way?

The accepted wisdom is that each medical series was had print run of between 1,000 and 1,500, Casualty and Medical Statistics being 1,500.

ss002d6252 thanks for the scan but having a price tag does not mean it was actually put on the sale with respect to Official Histories.

Martin if you look at The First World War and British Military History edited by Brian Bond and published by Clarendon Press, Oxford in 1991 you will see that there were objections to the Military ops volumes being sold to the public for example due to the impact they would have on relations with the US. Also be aware this is the Medical Series. I recommend this book to you, it is a very fine work.

I have in my collection around 20 Medical GW OH's the majority being sold to the public, I think one is ex libris.I have seen all the other medical volumes for sale enough over the years to know they are not many out there copies out there, but there are. I have seen this volume several times in libraries, including with presentation slips from Macpherson, and know of it being 6 times for sale, once as part of a full set of OH's (it was not), once as part of a full set of Medical OH's (it was), once rebound very close to the original binding, 2 people members here have originals and one other sold. I know all are ex libris except for one, and I have pm'd the owner about his copy. At least one has type errata slip which suggests the War Office tracked where the copies went with a distribution list, the War Office kept distribution lists for 4 other volumes, Operations in Perisa, Occupation of the Rhineland, History Of The Blockade, and The Blockade of the Central Empires, 1914-1918. All these volumes where classed as Secret, or For Official Use only. I am therefore thinking that this volume was never physically sold, unless someone shows me a copy we know has gone through a shop.

[Dust Jacket Collector]

Martin. The only volume of Medical Services I have which is not ex-lib. is Diseases Vol.1 & that still has nearly half it's pages uncut, which suggests it didn't go to a private buyer - I doubt anyone would have shelled out 21/- and then not opened it. Can we really be sure any of them were ever sold. Maybe the non-library copies were just given to interested parties.

[MartH]

Martin. The only volume of Medical Services I have which is not ex-lib. is Diseases Vol.1 & that still has nearly half it's pages uncut, which suggests it didn't go to a private buyer - I doubt anyone would have shelled out 21/- and then not opened it. Can we really be sure any of them were ever sold. Maybe the non-library copies were just given to interested parties.

Alan a very good point, I will look at my copies, some I know are uncut and some I have cut to read the contents.

What would also confirm it is a booksellers sticker!

[Guest]

Mart H - an interesting thread.

A question on the errata slip. Why does this indicate that a distribution list was kept? Could the book have been printed, then the errors spotted, and then a loose slip printed and inserted before it was distributed?

Should we not be surprised that most of the copies can be identified as ex libris? Given the narrow subject, one might expect only a small appetite from the general public. The cost @ £55 (based on Craig's calculation) might indicate this was not positioned for the general public. How does the price compare to, say, OH France and Belgium Vol I, or Gallipoli Vol I when they were first published? I am trying to get a feel for price point against print run.

As for libraries, I wonder how many schools of medicine there were in the Empire in 1931? Probably nowhere near 1,500 would be my guess. Would RAMC units likely have this book, and if so down to what level? i.e I am trying to get a feel for how many RAMC units might hold a copy. If it was classified Secret I wonder why the print run was 1,500 rather than the lower number of 1,000 (or less). The contents of a book can't remain secret if it is distributed to publicly accessible libraries. I would be interested to know how many copies of the books known to be classified Secret were produced and where they went. 'Secret - For Official Use Only' might suggest they only went to Govt libraries that the general public had no access to. It would be interesting to know which libraries the six known books were from.

MG

[Resurgam13]

My copy is a rebound ex-RUSI Library, but it does have the small War Office errata slip loosely inserted at the relevent page, and the corrections were duly made in ink on that page.

[bootneck]

It might be worthwhile contacting the Wellcome Library at library@wellcome.ac.uk and the Army Medical Services Museum at archives@amsmuseum.co.uk to see what they say.

regards

Bootneck

[Dust Jacket Collector]

Martin G.

My copy of 1914 was priced at 12/6 & Gallipoli Vol.2 at 15/- (the appendices/map volumes were 4/6). Interestingly both the Principal Events volume & the massive Statistics of the Military Effort of the British Empire volumes were only 10/6 each.

[Guest]

Martin G.

My copy of 1914 was priced at 12/6 & Gallipoli Vol.2 at 15/- (the appendices/map volumes were 4/6). Interestingly both the Principal Events volume & the massive Statistics of the Military Effort of the British Empire volumes were only 10/6 each.

Thanks...

France and Belgium Vol I.......... 592 pages ....12/6.....

Gallipoli Vol II.............................519 pages..... 15/-

Casualties and Medical Stats.....382 pages ......22/-....

Looking at this simplistically (adjusting cost per page), the Medstats volume was between 2 and 2.7 times the cost of the campaign OHs. Given its specialist area, dry tables and high cost (relative and absolute), I don't get the feeling that it was aimed at the mass market. I am amazed the print run was 1,000. MG

[MartH]

This Forum is wonderful; I have figured out with your help something new about Official Histories! Thanks to all contributors.

The Medical Histories were issued in two versions: Official Copy, marked as such on the Title page as such, and Public no marking, sold publically, I have at least three with 1920’s bookseller stickers in the back, I still don’t think intially Casualties and Medical Statistics was sold publically, the Official Copy typeface is larger and more integral to the title page than the General History one. Has anyone got a 1931 copy with a 1930’s bookseller’s sticker in the back?

Furthermore I am convinced when it was originally issued this one was as an Official Copy, and there was a distribution list, my copy is dated in a military establishment before the Errata slip was issued, so the Errata slip “caught” up with this copy. As above might have been released later not marked as an Official Copy.

I checked my copy of Casualties and Medical Statistics, and Thanks Rusurgam13 for the scan, I was going to do one today, your errata it is exactly the same as in the copy I have. Most interestingly it is marked at the top of the Title page Official Copy. The line in the text is 1,500 6/31, further more it has a stamp “Deputy Director Of Medical Services Eastern Command 2 – Jun 1932”. I have looked at about 8 other Medical volumes 3 are issued through a bookseller WH Smith Birmingham (I bought these overseas), one has a stamp indicating it was issued too “This book was presented to this library by the Director General AMS” (I think that’s what is reads as), 3 have WH Smith stickers, and one a General Medical History Volume One has Official Copy on the title page. So first and last volumes where issued marked Official Copies.

MG to answer some of you questions not in other text:

The errata slip date is issued after the date on the title page as well as in the book and the copy I have was in a military establishment before that date. I think the books where issued shortly after printing. The War Office kept distributions lists certainly during and after the Second World War, Rhineland had one, Special Weapons & Types of Warfare Volume III had one, and I have Official Histories from before the Great War that had a distribution lists, secret ones like Griersons’ work on the Russo Japanese War, one of the reasons for the distributions list was to issue updates, and I believe it happened with the Casualties and Medical Statistics. Also if the errors where spotted before being issue, normally a printed errata slip was inserted and even happened with the very first OH on the Crimea War “Journal of the Operations Conducted by the Corps of Royal Engineers”.

Official History pricing after the Great War, I am convinced the Military Operations volumes at the start where intentionally priced low and even some even subsidised.

The preceding Official Histories to the Great War was “The Russo Japanese War”, with the third and final volume being published in 1920 with a print run of 1,500 for a princely sum of £3 10s. The various volumes and editions of France and Belgium Military Operations had individual print runs of between 2,000 and 3,000 copies, even the later ones, 1917 Volume II and III had print runs over 3,000, though I don't believe all where sold and at the end where priced 30s net. Several editions had reprints Pricing is complex, For example for 1914 Vol. 1, Text 12s 6d, Maps 12s 6d, not only was a Corrigenda issued for 1914 Vol. 1 but 7 new sketch maps priced 9d. Vol. II Text 12s 6d, Maps 5s. 6d net. Same pricing for 1916, All low, which seems to be the pricing for all Military Operations. Transportation was 21s 10d for text and maps in 1937. Gallipoli Appendices was 4s 6d. After the Second World War it was 30s for the later volumes.

The medicals were twice the cost of the military operations.

I have no idea how many RAMC units got the book, but copies went all over the world to military establishments.

My views about the books below is based upon 28 years of rabid/passionate collecting, discussions with: dealers, collectors, librarians (including Rose Coombes), helping authors and research staff over the years (including John Terraine), looking/rummaging around in Military Libraries all over the world and reading many of the works on the subject issued since the 1920’s. My collection spans all UK issued Official Histories, I have public ones, For Official Use Only, Secret, Cabinet office and other levels from other times. The preface of later volumes often have valuable information in them, including the Second World War ones, especially The Army at War Series. Please ignore the Neil Wells Bibliography it is riddled with errors.

For the Great War three levels of printed restrictions where used:

• Secret
• Confidential – For Official Use Only
• Public

Title pages where not needed to be printed when the body of the book was.

There where four volumes not public plus the Munitions Series, going through each one

Operations in Persia 1914-1919, H.M.S.O 1929, in the volume 500 printed 9/29, maroon hardback. Now the Government of India did not like this book/hated it and objected to even the Confidential Copies, 150 were marked Secret and sent to India and 50 marked Confidential issued in the UK, the remaining 300 destroyed later on in the 30’s. I know of 4 copies sold and a few in libraries all Confidential, no one has ever seen a Secret, and many other Secret and For Official books have come out of Indian Libraries. So only it is believed the copies marked Secret where destroyed. (I once knew an old military gentleman who had come back through Paris in 1940 and removed the Embassy copy!) There is no official redaction of the Confidential bit on the copy in my collection. Title page and preface printed together.

The Occupation Of The Rhineland 1918-1929, H.M. Stationary Office, maroon hardback. For Official Use Only, accepted wisdom 100 printed 5/44, there was a War Office Distribution list for this publication. No redaction of the For Official use Only. Title page printed separately. I know of 4 sold, and a few in libraries.

History Of The Blockade, Emergency Departments, 1920 (now appears to be error), H.M.S.O, 250 printed 3/21, prison binding green card covers, For Official Information only, declassified (LS7/40, 1958). Title page printed as part of book. This book has no publication data on the title page and it seems the bibliographies used the preface date in error. I know of one sold and 2 others in libraries.

The Blockade of the Central Empires, 1914-1918. 1937, 750 4/37, Blue Hardback Confidential (marked on spine too) and on verso of title page “This history is confidential and for official use only, and must be kept under lock and key: it may not be shown to any person not in the service of His Majesty’s Government without express permission obtained from the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs”. Some copies are numbered, and in 1961 a sticker was put on the verso text saying “This volume was produced and printed in 1937 for official purpose only. London Her Majesty’s Stationary Office 1961” and original 1937 bound copies sold with this, in addition unbound copies where made up in a different blue hardback and Her Majesty’s Stationary Office was on the bottom of the spine in place of Confidential.

History of the Ministry of Munitions I have seen copies, and have some, printed in parts of volumes green paper covers, printed in green grey paper covers in 1918, Confidential for Official Information Only, accepted wisdom is that 250 copies where produced. Title page printed with the book. There might have been two editions since some copies on the back have “Note – The present issue is subject to revision and must be regarded as provisional.”

Comments please.

[Guest]

Fascinating. Thanks for sharing the knowledge.

I recall seeing the history of the Ministry of Munitions in the library at the National Archives. It prompted me to buy some. I think they have the full set. Very distinctive green.

If you are interested in knowing where other copies of these books are in various libraries would you like them to be flagged? I am at Sandhurst next week and if opportunity serves can check the library there. It was pretty comprehensive in my day and I assume it would have been one of the libraries that received copies automatically.London the week after. The Army and Navy Club might holds some of these as they have a decent library and I can check if you need. I would expect the RE Institute and RA Institute to have them too, Staff College library etc. You may have covered this ground already..... MG

[MartH]

Fascinating. Thanks for sharing the knowledge.

I recall seeing the history of the Ministry of Munitions in the library at the National Archives. It prompted me to buy some. I think they have the full set. Very distinctive green.

If you are interested in knowing where other copies of these books are in various libraries would you like them to be flagged? I am at Sandhurst next week and if opportunity serves can check the library there. It was pretty comprehensive in my day and I assume it would have been one of the libraries that received copies automatically.London the week after. The Army and Navy Club might holds some of these as they have a decent library and I can check if you need. I would expect the RE Institute and RA Institute to have them too, Staff College library etc. You may have covered this ground already..... MG

Martin thanks for your input and the offer. Are your Ministry of Munitions the original 1918 ones, the final versions (or the recent reprints)?

If you do get time in any library (I have been to some) I am really interested in two things:

1. Medical Official Histories, if they have a Casualty and Medical Statistics, is it an Official Copy?

2. History Of The Blockade, by H W Carless Davis, C.B.E. if they have a copy does it have an other information tipped in?

Many thanks, like I said today is the first time anywhere in print which states that there where separate Official Copies issued of Great War Official Histories other than the the 4 I have documented and Munitions. I would suspect that in TNA there is a minute going into the reasons. There is more to this and it is significant in understanding writing the history of the Great War.

PS Did you know the Australian Medical OH's is 4 Volumes not the 3 often quoted......

[MaureenE]

For comparison purposes, if you want to look at some online editions in the Medical Series, for the links see the Forum thread

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=211161&hl=

These seem to be copies in American University libraries.

Cheers

Maureen

[Guest]

There might be some useful leads in the following files at TNA:

CAB 103/81 - Cabinet Papers on the Medical History

CAB 103/83 - Cabinet decisions on publication of histories

[Dust Jacket Collector]

MartH - a few observations / questions.

As I said before all my Medical volumes bar 1 are ex-lib - Hendon, Lambeth, Bristol Med. School & MOD. As far as I can see none of them say 'Official' on the title page.

My 'Rhineland', ex-IWM, is bound in the same colour cloth as all the land-based volumes, i.e. red/orange as opposed to maroon.

Pathology doesn't seem to have a limitation number.

There are tipped in corrigenda slips with the General History volumes 2, 3 & 4.

I was thinking about the supposed limitation figures given in most volumes & I was wondering if these were perhaps aspirational rather than definite. What prompted this idea was searching for a copy of the 1924 HMSO publication 'Narrative of the Battle of Jutland'. This was apparently limited to 1,000 copies but a search on ABE reveals 18 for sale. For a book of that date, produced in such a small quantity, that's a remarkably high number. Most of the copies are quite cheap, so it isn't a high price causing the build-up. Given that the limitation number appears in every copy from the start it obviously can't be altered in retrospect. What I'm thinking is that they print sufficient numbers to supply the libraries & interested parties & send a few out to selected bookshops. If these don't sell then they don't print any more, but if they take off, like the Jutland volume, then maybe they print far more than they originally intended, regardless of their original limit.

My Blockade of the Central Empires does have 'Confidential' on the spine.

[MartH]

MartH - a few observations / questions.

As I said before all my Medical volumes bar 1 are ex-lib - Hendon, Lambeth, Bristol Med. School & MOD. As far as I can see none of them say 'Official' on the title page.

My 'Rhineland', ex-IWM, is bound in the same colour cloth as all the land-based volumes, i.e. red/orange as opposed to maroon.

Pathology doesn't seem to have a limitation number.

There are tipped in corrigenda slips with the General History volumes 2, 3 & 4.

I was thinking about the supposed limitation figures given in most volumes & I was wondering if these were perhaps aspirational rather than definite. What prompted this idea was searching for a copy of the 1924 HMSO publication 'Narrative of the Battle of Jutland'. This was apparently limited to 1,000 copies but a search on ABE reveals 18 for sale. For a book of that date, produced in such a small quantity, that's a remarkably high number. Most of the copies are quite cheap, so it isn't a high price causing the build-up. Given that the limitation number appears in every copy from the start it obviously can't be altered in retrospect. What I'm thinking is that they print sufficient numbers to supply the libraries & interested parties & send a few out to selected bookshops. If these don't sell then they don't print any more, but if they take off, like the Jutland volume, then maybe they print far more than they originally intended, regardless of their original limit.

My Blockade of the Central Empires does have 'Confidential' on the spine.

Alan replying one by one. None say Official History in the actual title bit, except based upon Official Documents. The "Official Copy" is top left, or top.

Two scans of Official Copy copies of the Medical History.

And for good measure the Errata slip, same as the other one.

Your Question about Pathology and the Limitation number, go to page 265, and there is a separately printed insert, with the Limitation number.

Tipped in corrigenda slips, havn't checked but many volumes have them.

My use of the term maroon, its maroon red, a term I and my late farther used to distinguish Military Operations Red to Badeaker Red, though Persia is a slightly different red to the standard red of Rhineland.

I agree limitation lines are only a guide, I have seen over the years many Egypt and Palestine's far more than the limitation number suggests, and the Narrative, huge numbers.

You Blockade is a 1937 binding.

There might be some useful leads in the following files at TNA:

CAB 103/81 - Cabinet Papers on the Medical History

CAB 103/83 - Cabinet decisions on publication of histories

Martin your a star I must visit and do some research.

[Dust Jacket Collector]

Thanks for that Martin & for posting the pictures. That's all very clear. Definately no 'Official Copies' in my set. Maybe worth starting a thread on the Munitions set - it would be most interesting to know if anyone here has them.

[MartH]

Thanks for that Martin & for posting the pictures. That's all very clear. Definately no 'Official Copies' in my set. Maybe worth starting a thread on the Munitions set - it would be most interesting to know if anyone here has them.

I have a bit more to do here, on Medicals, but happy to start one, alas the Great Expert on them is dead: TonyE, he had studied and used them, therefore understanding the content.

Of course I have failed to say the most educated and best at recording information people on the Battlefield where the Medical Personnel, the often the medical histories are the best written, one of my favorites is the 1898 Hospitals On The North-West Frontier, The Hospitals In The Field. Tochi Field Force, Kohat-Kurram Force, Malakand Field Force, Tirah Expeditionary Force, but I digress.