What WW1 books are you reading?

[Michelle Young]

I’m reading Mons Retreat  to Victory by John Terraine. Very well written, and unlike most books written by academics these days, easy to read. 

[kenf48]

Went to Camilla's this week (if you know, you know) the Great War stacks had grown exponentially since my last visit.  Picked up " Conscripts Lost Legions of the Great War" Ilana R Bet-EL (1999) extensive notes on sources, was on my way out and there three from the bottom of a six foot stack was the 'Sleepwalkers' Christopher Clark a book I have wanted to read for ages, even more so after listening to a recent 'Rest is History' podcast series on the start of the was where the book was extensively referenced.

Again an academic book but dived straight in and as engrossing as any thriller on the twists and turns of those fateful days from July 1914, and lots of earlier background. Was a full scale European war inevitable, or could it have been contained?

Oh well it will probably be another couple of months before I venture in there again.

[ilkley remembers]

53 minutes ago, kenf48 said:

'Sleepwalkers' Christopher Clark a book I have wanted to read for ages, even more so after listening to a recent 'Rest is History' podcast series on the start of the was where the book was extensively referenced.

I was thinking about this book last week when watching the excellent series on BBC 'Corridors of Power: Should America Police the World and the 2 episodes about the Balkans crises in the 1990s and early 2000s. Widespread war was averted but the shocking indifference of some of the main players in allowing things to get out of hand was startling.

As an Australian I think Clarke likes to position himself outside the Anglo-American view of the causes of WW1, despite the fact that he teaches at Cambridge. It is a good read and his interpretation is interesting and rather unsuprisingly rather popular in Germany.

IR

[bmac]

On 01/03/2024 at 10:42, Kimberley John Lindsay said:

Yes, that would be invaluable in tracking down the Ups and Downs of the Old Boys from Dulwich!

What you need, and which I have (being an Old Alleynian) is the Dulwich College War Record 1914-1919 which contains photos and biogs of the OAs who died in the war. From what I can see three more of the boys in the photo were killed:

Capt. Cyril Robert Wightman Mountain, 13th Cheshire Regt., killed at Westhoek, Polygon Wood, on 5th August 1917.

2nd Lt, Leslie Paton, 11th Royal Scots, killed near Arras, 21st March 1917.

Lt. Claude Ashley Rieu Hoggan, 16th (Public Schools), Middlesex Regt., attached 46th Battalion, MGC, killed 30th May 1918 and buried in Fouquieres-les-Bethune Churchyard.

If you want more information I can scan the relevant pages.

Bill

[MikeyH]

A recent foray into a local charity shop (2 books for £1), produced a hardback copy of 'Blindfold and Alone' by Corns/Hughes Wilson 2001.  This covers the cases of the 347 men of the British army executed by firing squad between 1914 to 1920.  Also a very good paperback copy of 'Bloody Victory' by William Philpott (The Sacrifice on the Somme) 2010.  A total count of some 1250 pages,  should keep me quiet for a while....

Mike.

Edited 2 September by MikeyH

[Kevdan]

Verdun 1916 the battle in words and images. It is a Dutch-language book. was also one of my first books that I bought 17 years ago. I've read it many times! But because I'm going to Verdun a lot again soon, I want some extra info. Don't remember it all haha.