Not
long after I became interested in the military history
of the Great War, I began researching a battalion of
the regular army (to be specific, the 1st South Staffords).
Apart from the fact that the regiment was formed in
1705 in the very same pub - the King's Head in Lichfield
- where I drank
as a teenager, I had absolutely no connection with
the regiment. I became driven, I guess, by two factors.
The battalion had an amazing history, being involved
in most of the major actions and having built a strong
reputation. Naturally this motivated me. But it was
the very neglect of such a battalion that really intrigued
me. It was easy to find histories of the 'pals' units,
both contemporary and modern volumes. But barely a
word on the regulars.
Brian Gillard had a
closer, family, connection with a
similarly neglected battalion, the
1st Somerset
Light Infantry, which went to
France as part of 11th Infantry Brigade, 4th
Division. I have no doubt whatever
that he found, as I did, that existing
works on this battalion were few
and that his research required much
work among the records of the regiment
in the National Archives and the
regimental and local museums.
I was a little disappointed
that the battalion's story is only
covered up to the end of 1914, but
it is done well and thoroughly -
and to be fair this is made plain
by the subtitle!
The
day to day events are told largely
through reference to the battalion's
war diary and the British Official
History, although these are usefully
filled out by letters and memoirs of
men who were there.
I
would recommend the book - obviously
to those with a Somersets or 4th
Division interest - but also to anyone
interested in the Ploegsteert Wood
area, for the battalion fought and
died there in the latter part of
1914. The story of a costly attack
on the "Birdcage" position
on 19 December 1914 is particularly
well covered.
The
book is nicely produced, with some
excellent photographs that I have
never seen before. £14.99
cover price is a little steep but
not unusual for a short-run publication,
and with discounts
from Amazon represents very good
value. Overall, a good addition
to your Great War library.
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| Recommended |
|
| Good
Old Somersets |
| Good
Old Somersets is available from the Long,
Long Trail in association with Amazon.co.uk.
It is likely to be discounted from cover
price. |
|
|
