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Good Old Somersets: An Old Contemptible Battalion in 1914
 
 

Good Old Somersets: An Old Contemptible Battalion in 1914 (Paperback)

by Brian Gillard (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
RRP: £14.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 164 pages
  • Publisher: Troubador Publishing (29 Jul 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1904744311
  • ISBN-13: 978-1904744313
  • Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 15.2 x 1.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 628,555 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
  • See Complete Table of Contents

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Product Description

Review
"The book ... is really quite riveting stuff, and sets a benchmark for similar endeavours ... the pace of the narrative is a delight ... this is certainly a book you should consider adding to your Great War bookshelf. Excellent. Highly Recommended."The Great War Magazine

Product Description
On 22 August 1914 1000 men of the Somerset Light Infantry sailed for France as part of the British Expeditionary Force. Within four days a quarter of them would be lost at the Battle of Le Cateau, and by the end of the year barely 200 of the first contingent were serving in France. This is a day-by-day chronicle of the Battalion from August to December 1914. It uses the Official War Diaries, together with extracts from personal diaries and correspondence, newspaper reports and other contemporary material. The book covers the fighting, movements, trench life and relaxation of a typical group of regular soldiers who came to be known as 'The Old Contemptibles'.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Good work on an unsung regular battalion, 16 Dec 2007
By Chris Baker "The Long, Long Trail man" (Leamington Spa, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
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 his 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. Overall, a good addition to your Great War library.
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