Field Service

[Old Tom]

This is a novel based on the work of a small army unit working with the war graves commission in 1920. The unit are engaged in the construction of a concentration cemetery on the Somme and the author relates the relationship of the OC with a number of others concerned with the cemetery over a period of perhaps a few weeks. The others include a nurse concerned with the burial of some nurses, another officer who is responsible for the identification of bodies recovered for other sites in the area, a visiting padre, and lady looking for her fiance's grave. I found the narrative plausible and the accounts of how a number of problems, such as water courses and tracks across the emerging cemetery were encountered and dealt with fascinating.

Old Tom

[paulgranger]

Thanks for the comments, Tom. The book got good reviews in the weekend supplements earlier this month, and it's on my wish list.

[docchippy]

Decent read, some things  little frustrating and raises more questions how/what research went into it.  Much of the story hinges around the recovery and burial of soldiers for whom the evidence suggests they have been deliberately killed as prisoners by Germans in march 18.  Also indirect discussion about the re-burial of shot at dawn soldiers.  All of which help the plot and raise the dilemma's raised by the IWGC at the time.  but poses the query about how much these were real issues which had to be dealt with...has the author based elements on events in the CWGC archive? 

 

Other minor stuff which raised an eyebrow - but not sure if I'm sufficiently knowledgeable to query...

 

Censorship of officer's mail - not sure it ever existed, least of all after Armistice? 

Tracer bullets used in front line service by MGC - were they really?  In WW1?

 

Doc