Rob Bulloch Posted 24 January , 2004 Share Posted 24 January , 2004 Hi to the Forum. I have just bought the above book and was wondering what the opinion of the forum members was on it. Best Regards Rob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientpoints Posted 24 January , 2004 Share Posted 24 January , 2004 Can't say yes or no as I only got exactly the same book last week so also interested in feedback. I will read it regardless but opinions may change its location in the 'to do' pile! Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Morgan Posted 24 January , 2004 Share Posted 24 January , 2004 Don't know if others will agree, but it's more a "document of the time" than a serious record - young junior officers worried about being able to earn the respect of their men, kindly colonels who are just like your favourite housemaster at school, ill-educated (but exceedingly noble) rankers who are as innocent as children, that kind of thing. Lots of idealism and good humour in the face of hardship. It's a bit "Boys' Own" but a good read nevertheless. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Morgan Posted 24 January , 2004 Share Posted 24 January , 2004 Incidentally, in the 1930s Ian Hay wrote a play called "The Housemaster" which contains the first ever use of the the well-known line: What do you mean, funny? Funny-peculiar or funny ha-ha? Not a lot of people know that. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffsyeoman Posted 24 January , 2004 Share Posted 24 January , 2004 "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off...." Agree with Tom. Got a copy from a clearout in my university hall of residence library, a 1970s copy. It's a creature of its time, but worth a place on the shelf as an indicator of such; many of the attitudes expressed would be swept away by the war.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Bulloch Posted 24 January , 2004 Author Share Posted 24 January , 2004 Thanks Forum members. I bought it on ebay for $5.99 plus postage so no loss if it goes into the "will read some day" shelve thanks for the input. Rob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem22 Posted 26 January , 2004 Share Posted 26 January , 2004 Rob I would recommend that you move the book up your reading list. It is a very good read; as is the follow up book "K1 Carries On". No matter how many pearls of wisdom you glean from this website we all have one thing in commomn - none of us were there. Ian Hay (Beith) was there and the books he wrote beautifully describe his change from an idealist to a realist. I am sure you will find that it was $5.99 well spent; indeed it is my belief that the book is worth "A Few Dollars More!" Garth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterd Posted 26 January , 2004 Share Posted 26 January , 2004 Just to prove that great minds think alike - see posts lower down about WW1 novels. I have been trying to track down the title of the sequel for some time, so now off to the library! I can heartily reccommend the first 100,000 as a light hearted read with some interesting insights into the times. Peter Dillarstone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyne Posted 3 January , 2014 Share Posted 3 January , 2014 Thought I'd revive this thread, instead of starting a new topic... I just read it on the plane back from Spain... Almeria - Heverlee was a pleasant journey !! Especially as I had to try not to laugh too hard in the plane... and it took my mind off the seriously - seriously !!!! - overpriced sandwiches served by Iberia ! So I don't know if anybody else shares my views, but this is becoming one of my favourites! It's absolutely hilarious at some points and shows how those gentlemen-soldiers coped with basic training and with life on the front later on. Come to think of it, some stunts at the shooting range are not so far off to what every instructor nowadays sees with new recruits... and then laughs about at the end of the day!! But just your opinion... should I class it in "diaries" or in "novels" in my bibliography ???? MM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dust Jacket Collector Posted 3 January , 2014 Share Posted 3 January , 2014 RobI would recommend that you move the book up your reading list. It is a very good read; as is the follow up book "K1 Carries On". No matter how many pearls of wisdom you glean from this website we all have one thing in commomn - none of us were there.Ian Hay (Beith) was there and the books he wrote beautifully describe his change from an idealist to a realist.I am sure you will find that it was $5.99 well spent; indeed it is my belief that the book is worth "A Few Dollars More!"Garth The sequal was actually called 'Carrying On - after the first 100,000' , K1 is the US issue. There was also a third volume called 'The Last Million' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoppage Drill Posted 3 January , 2014 Share Posted 3 January , 2014 I had a first edition once, and have frequently seen quotes from it in several other works. The author went by the pen name of Ian Hay, though. When was it decided to use his full name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 3 January , 2014 Share Posted 3 January , 2014 I thought his name was John Hay Beith, not Ian Hay Beith. That said, it's some years since I read the book, and the sequel (tho' I've never seen the third in the series). Good fun and, as others say, of their time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 3 January , 2014 Share Posted 3 January , 2014 I thought his name was John Hay Beith, not Ian Hay Beith. His MIC says John Mike Edit Click Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoppage Drill Posted 3 January , 2014 Share Posted 3 January , 2014 I think I know whereof I speak . . . . . http://www.abebooks.co.uk/search/sortby/3/yrh/1918/an/ian+hay/tn/first+hundred+thousand . . . . . and several other googlable sources, such as this started by . . . . er . . .http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=125339 Presumably Ian Hay was his nom de plume for the early editions ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dust Jacket Collector Posted 3 January , 2014 Share Posted 3 January , 2014 The first editions of the first 2 books are credited to 'The Junior Sub', with Ian Hay in brackets. My copy of 'Carrying On' has a letter from the author inserted in which he signs himself Ian Hay Beith, dated 1917. The final volume is a scarce book - presumably it didn't sell too well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ridgus Posted 4 January , 2014 Share Posted 4 January , 2014 I love these books. Yes they are more 'light-hearted' than sometimes seems possible , given what he is describing. However his turn of phrase is such that it is almost impossible not to laugh out loud at some of his descriptions. That he went on to write for the stage with P G Wodehouse is not a surprise. In 'Carrying On' he described the timetable for an attack as one 'which might possibly be adhered to by a well-drilled flock of archangels, in broad daylight, upon good roads, and under peace conditions'. It's far too long to quote but his 3 page description of the average Tommy, in his case Private Bogle, (pages 243-245 in the same book) remains my favourite David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggers Posted 4 January , 2014 Share Posted 4 January , 2014 The third of the Hay books, 'The Last Million' was, I think, about the arrival of the American army. It is many years since I read it. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 4 January , 2014 Share Posted 4 January , 2014 And more odd facts ... Rather unusually he also wrote the first history of the British military nursing services 'One Hundred Years of Army Nursing.' That was published under the name Ian Hay (Major-General John Hay Beith, CBE, MC) and not until 1953, so shortly after his death. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 4 January , 2014 Share Posted 4 January , 2014 While flicking through a copy of 'The First Hundred Thousand' in an antique shop near Lincoln I came across this greeting card used as a bookmark, a bargain for 60p. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyne Posted 4 January , 2014 Share Posted 4 January , 2014 great info guys... buuuuut.. ... euhhhh .... novel or diary ????? MM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northstar Posted 4 January , 2014 Share Posted 4 January , 2014 MM I'd go for 'novels', but only my humble opinion! Steve (you could always cross-reference it in both sections...or is that a bit of a cop-out?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ridgus Posted 4 January , 2014 Share Posted 4 January , 2014 great info guys... buuuuut.. ... euhhhh .... novel or diary ????? MM. Novel. 'Mucklewame', 'Bogle', 'Wagstaffe', 'Bobby', 'M'Lachlan' - these all stand for a type, and their actions too combine those of many, I am sure David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now