NEW BOOK "The Lion and the Rose: The 4th Battalion The King's

[Canadian J]

Hi Everyone,

I came across this book today that I am very excited for! It is due to be released March 26, 2015 in the UK. I wanted to share it with you all and especially those interested in The King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment. My great Grandfather served with them and thus the reason for my excitement. I am sure this will be a gooder. Take care everyone!

- Jordan

[IRC Kevin]

Who was your Great Grandfather, Jordan?

[Muerrisch]

From what I know about the quality of the research, this one will be a cracker!

[John_Hartley]

Wot Grumpy said!

[Canadian J]

Who was your Great Grandfather, Jordan?

Hi Kevin!

My Great Grandfather was Pte. Frank Stowe, #2929 (later changed to 200706), 4th Bn.

Thanks for your interest!

From what I know about the quality of the research, this one will be a cracker!

I'll take your word for it Grumpy, sounds great!

[IRC Kevin]

Jordan,

Your Great-grandfather was a member of a very small club indeed. He was one of only twenty-two that I know of, who managed to serve overseas with the battalion from May 1915 to the end of the war, without being wounded once! Even rarer, his only time in hospital was with flu in 1918. Now I don't have every man's service record, but I can tell who may have gone to France in May 15 by their battalion number- which could add a maximum of another twenty men. I have no other evidence of the wounding, transfer or home posting before November 1918 of these twenty, but would be very surprised if they all qualified! I know of at least eight from the battalion emigrated to Canada after the war- seemed a popular place for the men of the Furness district.

Your Great-grandfather was in A Company at one point, (if not for the entire war). I'm afraid he only gets a mention in the Appedices, but if he was an A Company storeman in either 1914 or 1918, there's a distinct possiblity he may be in the photos showing the QM staff at Sevenoaks and just after the Armistice.

regards,

Kevin

[Canadian J]

Kevin,

I would first like to say THANK YOU so much for taking the time to reply to me and for taking the time to tell me such specific details about my Great Grandfather!

My Great Grandfather ended up in Leeds where he died in his 50's. It was his son, my Papa (Grandfather) that emigrated to Canada. I have a copy of his service record and I was a bit unsure of wether he was in A or B Company. It looks like A Company was written down then B company was written over it at some point, so it's nice to hear from you Kevin that he was in A Company or even both? I really don't know much at all about the 4th KO except from skimming small parts of the war diary so I am very excited for the book to learn more, especially because it is so specific to my Great Grandfather's battalion!

A HUGE thanks again Kevin!

-Jordan

[headgardener]

Kevin - congratulations on getting your book published! Can I ask whether 4/KORL included a Company from Dalton-in-Furness...? I have a few cards which I guess must be from the same collection showing various men described as 'Dalton lads'. Can't remember any of the names off-hand, just curious to know whether Dalton was a specific location for 4/KORL, or whether the photos are simply of a group of friends from Dalton who volunteered together.

[IRC Kevin]

Thanks, Headgardner.

G Company was from Dalton (with a drill station at Askam). When it became 4 companies in January 1915 they and H Company (Millom, Broughton, Coniston and Hawkshead) became D Company.

regards,

Kevin.

[headgardener]

Thanks, Headgardner.

G Company was from Dalton (with a drill station at Askam). When it became 4 companies in January 1915 they and H Company (Millom, Broughton, Coniston and Hawkshead) became D Company.

regards,

Kevin.

Many thanks for the explanation. I look forward to seeing the book...!

[Canadian J]

Kevin - congratulations on getting your book published! Can I ask whether 4/KORL included a Company from Dalton-in-Furness...? I have a few cards which I guess must be from the same collection showing various men described as 'Dalton lads'. Can't remember any of the names off-hand, just curious to know whether Dalton was a specific location for 4/KORL, or whether the photos are simply of a group of friends from Dalton who volunteered together.

Hi Headgardener, My Great Grandfather was from Dalton in Furness, his name was Frank Stowe, served with the 4th KO. If you come across his name on those cards let me know!

- J

[Canadian J]

I received my copy in the mail yesterday. Very happy to have it and it looks like a lot of hard work went into it! I hope others are going to give it a go as well! Take care all,

- Jordan

[aircraftsman]

Kevin were can I get a copy of your book, My G Uncle was in THE KINGS OWN LANCASTER REGIMENT, 1/4 Batt, No 4976, 201650, LANCE CORPORAL, William John Strode. K.I.A. 28th Sept 1916. I must have a copy of your book thank you. Regards George

[John_Hartley]

Readily available from the likes of Amazon.

In fact, if you order from Amazon, via the link on this forum page, the forum earns a small commission -

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=169635

[IRC Kevin]

Kevin were can I get a copy of your book, My G Uncle was in THE KINGS OWN LANCASTER REGIMENT, 1/4 Batt, No 4976, 201650, LANCE CORPORAL, William John Strode. K.I.A. 28th Sept 1916. I must have a copy of your book thank you. Regards George

You'll find him (and the circumstances of his demise) on pages 108 & 109. Hope you enjoy the book. (your great-uncle and my grandfather served together)

regards,

Kevin

[aircraftsman]

Kevin thank you very much for the information, and congratulations on your book. I have ordered a copy. Regards George

Thank you very much John.

[Chad-1421]

Kevin I purchased your book just before Christmas (and got my dad a copy) and I have to say the quality of the research and amount of detail included in it is incredible. My grandfather served in the 1/4th 200120 Sgt Wallace Chadwick with his brother Pte 1925 Arthur Chadwick who was KIA in 1915 and you include references to both of them, which was fascinating to read. I recently acquired two original postcard photo's of my grandfather from a distant relative, both taken during WW1 and one is a group one taken the day he was presented with his MM in early 1917 wearing his medal. I also have several medals to men of the 1/4th KORL, including the DCM to Sgt Fred Yates and MM's to Sgt William Whiteside and Sgt Thomas Wright and you give some excellent information about the reason for their awards.

Thanks again for an outstanding book, which is highly recommended.

Ian

[IRC Kevin]

Kevin I purchased your book just before Christmas (and got my dad a copy) and I have to say the quality of the research and amount of detail included in it is incredible. My grandfather served in the 1/4th 200120 Sgt Wallace Chadwick with his brother Pte 1925 Arthur Chadwick who was KIA in 1915 and you include references to both of them, which was fascinating to read. I recently acquired two original postcard photo's of my grandfather from a distant relative, both taken during WW1 and one is a group one taken the day he was presented with his MM in early 1917 wearing his medal. I also have several medals to men of the 1/4th KORL, including the DCM to Sgt Fred Yates and MM's to Sgt William Whiteside and Sgt Thomas Wright and you give some excellent information about the reason for their awards.

Thanks again for an outstanding book, which is highly recommended.

Ian

Thanks for that, Ian- I wish I'd had access to your photos before publication! I have a Facebook page for the three TF battalions and it would be great to see them on there. https://www.facebook.com/LionandtheRoseIf anyone with family who served in the 2/5th reads this- I'm now collecting photos for the Lion and the Rose 3- too late for the 1/5th as all the stuff is already with the publishers. I have also put the sketch maps in an album on there so people can print them off- I'd put some at right angles so they would fill a complete page, but the publishers turned them back again, which rather makes some of them too small to read properly.

[brummell]

Kevin - pleased to see your book will soon be out there, and thanks again for the help you gave me concerning Albert Dartnall. I hope it enjoys the success it deserves.

- brummell

[Chad-1421]

Hi Kevin unfortunately I dont use facebook so not able to post on it but it was great to be able to read your site without being a member and the content is fascinating. If you would be interested in the photo's I am more than happy to scan them and send them to to post and use in any further publication where they may be useful. I have also got a really nice photo of a group of named 1/4th senior NCO's taken in May 1918. Some of them wear gallantry medal ribbons and included is QMS Fred Yates wearing his DCM ribbon (a copy of this photo is on the Kings Own museum website with details of those named).

Ian

[paulgranger]

It's on offer from NMP in their winter sale at £5 (sorry Kevin)

[IRC Kevin]

It's on offer from NMP in their winter sale at £5 (sorry Kevin)

So I've just seen- probably the fate of most books that are nearly a year in print. Obviously the publishers have sold enough to cover their costs, but not enough to justify storage costs for the remainder of the print run. Might even order a couple myself, as I've given away all the freebies I got and the NMP price is less than 50% of the author's discount price from the publishers!

[Muerrisch]

I have belatedly got round to buying a copy, and wish I could have helped to line Kevin's pockets [!] earlier. The book is nicely printed, bound and dust-jacketed and is now at a marvellous price.

Only the first several chapters have been read but I am now confident that I should urge anyone uncommitted to snap up a copy.

Many will know Dr Dunn's "The War the Infantry Knew" describing the travails and triumphs of 2nd RWF

The Lion and the Rose sets out to plough essentially the same theme, following a Territorial Force battalion through its war. Dunn was fortunate in his comparative nearness to events, and doubly fortunate in that his book is narrated by many voices, linked and enlivened by commentary and informed by the War Diary.

Kevin's task was more difficult in some ways and much easier in others. More difficult in that 100 years had elapsed, easier because of the miracle of internet and the availability of so much data online. Kevin also has the problem of one "voice", he writes like Kevin, so there are no sudden swerves and diversions as different contributors speak. This is lightened by extensive quotations from newspapers and letters. There are a few typos, and a few too many exclamation marks, but the man who never made mistakes never made anything, as I know too well.

Amost any infantry battalion's war was both harrowing, boring and uplifting in parts, and the book has all these aspects.

The breadth and depth of this remarkable labour of love is hugely impressive, and I do believe and hope that the book will become a standard. To compare it with Dunn's work is high, high praise.

I COMMEND IT TO THE HOUSE.

[nthornton1979]

Mine arrived yesterday along with two boxes full of goodies from NMP. It's by far the bulkiest book of the lot and after a quick glance through it I am vey impressed and thoroughly looking forward to delving in.

And what a bargian price!

Neil

[IRC Kevin]

Many thanks for that, Grumpy. When it was first completed it came to a ludicrous 255,000 words, which was chopped to 215,000 before sending my final version to the publishers. They culled a further 20,000 off it and unfortunately in the process introduced a number of typos that I missed when I proof-read their end product. Mostly s.p.g. errors and only two have any real bearing, the award of an MM to one chap being altered to an MC and the word 'to' replacing the word 'by' in a sentence about battalion strength- completely changing the meaning. My own fault- should have spotted them. Volume 2 on the 1/5th was accepted last June and should have been out next month, but there are all sorts of delays with the publishers and as I haven't even got the contract yet, it will be at least six months before it appears on the shelves. This is a similar length, but I won't be rushed into proof reading this one in just three days.