Fromelles by Patrick Lindsay

[Michael Molkentin]

I was most excited to spot a book on Fromelles at the bookstore today. My excitement was quickly tempered when I read the inscription on the author's (Patrick Lindsay's) website:

"Fromelles is Ausralia's worst military disaster, yet it barely rates a mention in our history books and the name is absent from our war memorials. Was there a cover-up? What happened to the missing Diggers? Why has it taken so long for action?"

Firstly, it was certainly not Australia's worst military disaster. That unfortunate laurel goes to the 8th Division at Singapore in 1942. Secondly, what is the mystery with this operation? The only mystery that I consider is why people seem to want to suggest that there was a cover up at Fromelles. Barely rates a mention in our history books? It recevied 120 pages in the Australian official history, in which Bean was quite frank about the disaster it was. Furthermore, it gets a chapter in nearly all of the books dealing with the AIF that are on my shelf. Peter Pedersen even wrote one entirely devoted to the battle, which is more than most operations of this size get. As for the missing diggers, there is nothing sinister afoot- they were killed and buried, albeit and necessarily ignomiously, by the Germans in a mass grave behind their frontlines; just like thousands of others who died in failed operations during that conflict.

[montbrehain]

come on then ! don't hold back , did you buy it ? "MO"

[Andrew P]

Hi Michael

I had heard it had been released but haven't bought it yet. I will be interested to see what info it can add on the Fromelles battle as compared to Robin Corfield's recent great book on the same subject.

Cheers

Andrew

[themonsstar]

A Capt J.J.W.Herbertson did a report on the Australian operations on the Western Front from the German side:

German Records:

Information Collected from German Archive's by Capt JJW Herbertson in connection with official Historians Questionnaire and relative to Australian Operations on the Western Front.

Capt JJW.Herbertson

During the War this officer was attached to the intelligence staff of 1st Anzac Corps. In 1923 when he obtained these records from the German Archives he was a member of staff of the British Department of Inter-Allied Rhineland High Commission.

National Archives Order No CAB45/172

[Aaron Pegram]

Hi Michael,

Are Fromelles and Singapore really comparable? Singapore was indeed a military blunder, but Fromelles was a catastrophic loss of life. From a purely economical viewpoint Singapore was far more devastating for the 2nd AIF, but it wasn't the carnage that was Fromelles.

I belive that Fromelles was the greater disaster in the sense that 5,533 officers and men were lost within a 24 hour period - and up until the fall of Singapore, would have been the worst military disaster the Australian's ever faced. Militarily, yes, the loss of 22,000 men captured at Singapore (of which 8,000 died in Japanese captivity) was an Australian military disaster. Its a military disaster by any standard. But the devastation and senselessness of Fromelles was nothing short of a tragedy - and did nothing but confirm that lions were being led by donkeys (as much as I hate using that expression!) But both were the result of sheer military incompetence so maybe they are comparable. Interestingly enough Australians blamed the British on both accounts.

Bean may have written at great length about Fromelles, but how many Australians took/have taken to reading his massive magnus opus? Very few. However I don't agree that there was a concerted effort of a 'cover up' (pointing the finger of blame definitely) but Fromelles was Australia's first introduction of life on the Western Front, and the near annihilation of the 5th Division in one night was sadly stacked up against further devastation at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm, the Somme battles, Bullecourt, and the dreaded Passchendaele campaign. If Fromelles had been covered up, why do we have streets all over Australia named in its commemoration?

Thanks for your review Michael. You've saved me the effort and the money, (sadly, the same cant be said about Robert Macklin's Jacka VC). I'm more of a fan of Paul Cobb's Fromelles: 1916 and recommend it over Pederson's. Cant comment on Corfield - I've yet to find a copy!

[Auimfo]

Ok, yes I bought it. But not for a detailed account of the battle which is probably more thoroughly disscussed in other books. Lindsay gives a reasonable account of the action in the first half of the book but it's the second half that I bought it for. That details the investigations conducted into the missing from the battle and the efforts of Lamdis Englezos to firstly locate and then have properly examined the site of the apparant mass grave.

So far I've found it reasonable reading but perhaps a little light on for detail throughout. Considering it appears that the 'mass grave' will be properly examined by the end of this year or early next year to determine once and for all whether it actually exists, I'm not sure why Lindsay couldn't wait for this final confirmation to add to the book before publication. Obviously the book as it is now will seem unfinished without this knowledge and I expect that will annoy me.

Cheers,

Tim L.