+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 2 of 2

Thread: "My WWI reads"

Click here to increase the font size Click here to reduce the font size
  1. #1
    Contributing Member CINDERS's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Last On
    03-25-2024 @ 11:01 AM
    Location
    South West Western Australia
    Posts
    7,734
    Real Name
    CINDERS
    Local Date
    03-28-2024
    Local Time
    04:20 PM

    "My WWI reads"

    Been plodding along with these over the last couple of months from my library;
    1st Ed's H/C's

    Backs to the Wall By G D Mitchell; (read it)
    The Gallant Company By H R Williams; (read it)
    Jacka's Mob By E J Rule MC MM; (Half way)
    The Battle Book of Ypres By Beatrice Brice (Eeep to some Wipers to others, a later read)

    Some great reading here what stands out by far apart from moments of sheer terror is the humor in the face of a nightmare.
    What those fellows went through in that mud & blood bath called Franceicon really made Gallipoli almost look like a tourist destination not saying there weren't any desperate pitched battles on that peninsular, it was overshadowed by the protracted trench warfare that was France the Western Front.
    I cannot imagine what those poor souls went through for years not days or months but years of death and destruction of mates brains being spattered over you.
    Being buried or drowning in a shell hole foul with dead soldiers from both sides the narratives are given in the first person by one who was at the pointy end of which they do not pull any punches saying what it was like among that hell on earth.
    Although in some paragraphs your quite splitting your sides with mirth at what the Aussies got up to with shinnangins both at the front and whilst on leave.

    As a point of interest it is in either the 1st or 2nd book that the author received 10 days leave in Englandicon after 3 years of fighting now that really puts it into perspective yes they went to quiet sectors but more often than not they were subjected to long range artillery.
    Their accommodation at times were animal pens and up the front just some dark damp hole scraped into the side of the trench that kept you perpetually wet or in a bunker 30'-40' underground with the real possibility of being entombed by a shell strike on the entrance.
    The mud in the trenches was often knee deep or deeper with soldiers discarding kit so they could move in it others took the chance of walking along the top with some paying the price, food more often than not was cold or non existent the bread was usually covered in mud that the dead lay in!

    The books ring true to the comrades in arms as everything was shared those lucky to get leave to England more often than not their mates gave them Francs of Pounds so one could live the life of Riley whilst there.

    If you can get a hold of these titles even reprints (or Kindle) they are well worth the read.
    As I get further along I will post other reads.
    Information
    Warning: This is a relatively older thread
    This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.
    Last edited by CINDERS; 10-15-2017 at 09:19 PM.

  2. The Following 2 Members Say Thank You to CINDERS For This Useful Post:


  3. # ADS
    Friends and Sponsors
    Join Date
    October 2006
    Location
    Milsurps.Com
    Posts
    All Threads
    A Collector's View - The SMLE Short Magazine Lee Enfield 1903-1989. It is 300 8.5x11 inch pages with 1,000+ photo’s, most in color, and each book is serial-numbered.  Covering the SMLE from 1903 to the end of production in India in 1989 it looks at how each model differs and manufacturer differences from a collecting point of view along with the major accessories that could be attached to the rifle. For the record this is not a moneymaker, I hope just to break even, eventually, at $80/book plus shipping.  In the USA shipping is $5.00 for media mail.  I will accept PayPal, Zelle, MO and good old checks (and cash if you want to stop by for a tour!).  CLICK BANNER to send me a PM for International pricing and shipping. Manufacturer of various vintage rifle scopes for the 1903 such as our M73G4 (reproduction of the Weaver 330C) and Malcolm 8X Gen II (Unertl reproduction). Several of our scopes are used in the CMP Vintage Sniper competition on top of 1903 rifles. Brian Dick ... BDL Ltd. - Specializing in British and Commonwealth weapons Specializing in premium ammunition and reloading components. Your source for the finest in High Power Competition Gear. Here at T-bones Shipwrighting we specialise in vintage service rifle: re-barrelling, bedding, repairs, modifications and accurizing. We also provide importation services for firearms, parts and weapons, for both private or commercial businesses.
     

  4. #2
    Contributing Member 30Three's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Last On
    03-19-2024 @ 03:50 PM
    Location
    France
    Posts
    809
    Local Date
    03-28-2024
    Local Time
    09:20 AM
    One of my recent WWI reads was "Harry's War" the diary of Harry Drinkwater.
    Harry went into the war at the very beginning and survived; he kept a diary for the entire time, despite the fact that it was against army regulations.
    It is a very interesting and worthwhile read.
    Apparently on one fire fight defending his trench ; the rifles were getting so hot that they kept swapping them for those left by fallen comrades.
    After successfully defending the trench, he was fined for not having the rifle assigned to him at inspection!

  5. Thank You to 30Three For This Useful Post:


  6. Avoid Ads - Become a Contributing Member - Click HERE
+ Reply to Thread

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 2
    Last Post: 03-31-2016, 10:50 AM
  2. Warner Brothers "Break Downs" and "Blow Ups" 1936-1947
    By Badger in forum Old Time Movie Classics
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 03-02-2013, 07:54 AM
  3. SAVAGE "S" in details, "ILCO butt trap", "P" on bayonet stud,what co. was ILCO?
    By Garandrew in forum The Lee Enfield Knowledge Library Collectors Forum
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 11-15-2010, 07:48 PM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
Raven Rocks