The 500 Best Cockney War Stories by Ian Hamilton ISBN: 9781848684249
Published by Amberley on February 2010
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, World War I, Veterans
Pages: 223
Len's Summary: First published in the early 1920s, this collection of humorous tales masks the grimness of the war in the trenches. Such tales served to help men keep their sanity.
Broken Men: Shell Shock, Treatment and Recovery in England, 1914-1930
Broken Men: Shell Shock, Treatment and Recovery in England, 1914-1930 by Fiona Reid ISBN: 9781441148858
Published by A&C Black on September 29th 2011
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Psychology, Neuropsychology, Great Britain
Pages: 224
Len's Summary: Support and treatment for shell shock victims by the RMC and The Ex-Servicemen Welfare Society.
Desert Hell: the British Invasion of Mesopotamia
Desert Hell: the British Invasion of Mesopotamia by Charles Townshend ISBN: 9780674059993
Published by Harvard University Press on February 22nd 2011
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Europe, Great Britain, Middle East, General
Pages: 623
Len's Summary: A cautionary tale of imperial overreach.
On Four Fronts With the Royal Naval Division During the First World War 1914-1918
On Four Fronts With the Royal Naval Division During the First World War 1914-1918 by Geoffrey Sparrow, J.N. Macbean Ross ISBN: 0857067168
Published by Leonaur on August 22nd 2011
Pages: 172
Len's Summary: It was Winston Churchill’s idea to make infantrymen out of surplus naval reservists and Royal Marines not assigned to ships in 1914. This division, the first of the new army divisions, saw action at Antwerp in 1914 and later fought at Gallipoli and again in Flanders finally becoming the 63rd Division as the numbers of naval personnel were depleted by battle casualties.
Britain and World War One
Britain and World War One by Alan G. V. Simmonds ISBN: 9781136629976
Published by Routledge on March 1st 2013
Genres: History, General, History, Europe, Western, Great Britain, Military, World War I
Pages: 336
Len's Summary: Another of Sheldon’s works that draws on German regimental histories to trace the opening battles from the German perspective.
The Chief: Douglas Haig and the British Army
The Chief: Douglas Haig and the British Army by Gary Sheffield ISBN: 9781845136918
Published by Aurum on May 1st 2012
Pages: 460
Len's Summary: Another in a long line of examinations of the generalship of Sir Douglas Haig by a premier British military historian. As usual, Sheffield’s work is particularly readable.
Landscapes of the Western Front: Materiality during the Great War
Landscapes of the Western Front: Materiality during the Great War by Ross J. Wilson ISBN: 9780415808057
Published by Routledge on October 24th 2012
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, World War I, Modern, 20th Century
Pages: 244
Len's Summary: Historical anthropology: A multidisciplinary study of how British soldiers responded to the war landscape building a sense of place in a hostile, unpredictable environment.
British Military Service Tribunals, 1916-18: ‘A Very Much Abused Body of Men’
British Military Service Tribunals, 1916-18: 'A Very Much Abused Body of Men' by James McDermott ISBN: 9780719084775
Published by Manchester University Press on August 15th 2011
Pages: 272
Len's Summary: A reexamination of the checkered record of tribunals created following enactment (for the first time in British history) of conscription to adjudicate individual appeals for exemption.
Captured Memories: Across the Threshold of War
Captured Memories: Across the Threshold of War by Peter Liddle ISBN: 9781848842342
on February 2011
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, World War I
Pages: 313
Len's Summary: A look at the famous and not so famous men and women who served on several fronts. The author is a distinguished British historian of both world wars whose collection of WWI documents and memorabilia is permanently housed at the University of Leeds.
Six Weeks: The Short and Gallant life of the British Officer in the First World War
Six Weeks: The Short and Gallant life of the British Officer in the First World War by John Lewis-Stempel ISBN: 9781409102144
Published by Orion on October 1st 2011
Pages: 358
Len's Summary: Drawing on their writings, the author seeks to illustrate the lives and deaths of British officers at the front. -- The title reflects the life expectancy of company grade officers in the trenches of WWI. A narrative history based on first-hand accounts.
Indigenous Peoples of the British Dominions and the First World War
Indigenous Peoples of the British Dominions and the First World War by Timothy C. Winegard ISBN: 9781107014930
Published by Cambridge University Press on November 3rd 2011
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, General, World War I, Modern, 20th Century, Social Science, Anthropology, Cultural
Pages: 312
Len's Summary: Comparative study if the war experiences of the aborigines of the five self-governing Dominions of the British Empire. By the author of For King and Kanata (University of Manitoba Press, 2012) about the WWI service of Canadian “first nations” Indians. -- Study of the widely varying participation of the native peoples of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland and South Africa in WWI.
The Devil’s Carnival: The First Hundred Days of Armageddon 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers August – December 1914
The Devil's Carnival: The First Hundred Days of Armageddon 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers August - December 1914 by John Mason Sneddon ISBN: 9781908336354
Published by Tommies Guides on October 1st 2012
Pages: 252
Len's Summary: The opening days of war for a typical British battalion of “contemptables.”
The Great Game, 1857-1907: Russo-British Relations in Central and East Asia
The Great Game, 1857-1907: Russo-British Relations in Central and East Asia by Evgeny Sergeev ISBN: 1421415577
Published by Woodrow Wilson Center Press on August 25th 2014
Pages: 552
Len's Summary: The Russo-British competition for dominance in Asia drawing on the archives of regional actors, as well as those in Moscow and London. This cold war-like confrontation was muted for a time by the 1907 Entente which led to a WWI alliance between the two powers and France, the Triple Entente. The author is a Russian academic who has also written on the Russo-Japanese War.
Spies in Uniform: British Military and Naval Intelligence on the Eve of the First World War
Spies in Uniform: British Military and Naval Intelligence on the Eve of the First World War by Matthew S. Seligmann ISBN: 9780199261505
Published by Oxford University Press on February 9th 2006
Pages: 272
Len's Summary: The author argues the thesis that Great Britain had good and sufficient reason, based on solid intelligence, to suspect aggressive German intentions in the years leading up to 1914.
The Royal Navy and the German Threat 1901-1914: Admiralty Plans to Protect British Trade in a War Against Germany
The Royal Navy and the German Threat 1901-1914: Admiralty Plans to Protect British Trade in a War Against Germany by Matthew S. Seligmann ISBN: 9780199574032
on May 24th 2012
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, World War I, Naval, Modern, 20th Century
Pages: 186
Len's Summary: A politico-military history delving into an important, but often ignored aspect of the Anglo-German naval race that preoccupied the Admiralty throughout the Edwardian period. A good companion to Planning Armageddon: British Economic Warfare and the First World War by Nicholas Lambert (Harvard, 2012).
Strategy and Command: The Anglo-French Coalition on the Western Front, 1914
Strategy and Command: The Anglo-French Coalition on the Western Front, 1914 by Roy A. Prete ISBN: 0773540792
Published by McGill-Queen's University Press on August 20th 2012
Pages: 280
Len's Summary: First published in hardcover in 2009, this is the first of three planned volumes on the Franco-British military alliance. // First of three planned volumes on the ever-evolving Anglo-French alliance in WWI.
A Kingdom United: Popular Responses to the Outbreak of the First World War in Britain and Ireland
A Kingdom United: Popular Responses to the Outbreak of the First World War in Britain and Ireland by Catriona Pennell ISBN: 0198708467
Published by Oxford University Press on September 24th 2014
Pages: 326
Len's Summary: In the days before public opinion surveys no statistical estimates of popular opinion were possible. This study attempts to approximate such a survey using diaries, journals, letters and newspaper accounts over the first five months of conflict. -- A wide variety of responses, not all positive, drawn from personal correspondence, diaries and the popular press.
Men of War: Masculinity and the First World War in Britain
Men of War: Masculinity and the First World War in Britain by Jessica Meyer ISBN: 9780230302327
Published by Palgrave Macmillan on February 15th 2012
Genres: History, Military, World War I, Europe, Great Britain, Modern, 20th Century, Social Science, Gender Studies
Pages: 232
Len's Summary: Social history; psychological investigation of men at war. // A scholarly examination of masculinity among British soldiers based in part on their correspondence.
Patriotism and Propaganda in First World War Britain: The National War Aims Committee and Civilian Morale
Patriotism and Propaganda in First World War Britain: The National War Aims Committee and Civilian Morale by David Monger ISBN: 9781781380130
Published by Liverpool University Press on March 1st 2014
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Modern, 20th Century
Pages: 310
Len's Summary: Demonstrates the significant role played by the War Arms Committee after July 1917 in combating war growing weariness among a civilian population worn down by years of total war.
From Boer War to World War: Tactical Reform of the British Army, 1902–1914
From Boer War to World War: Tactical Reform of the British Army, 1902–1914 by Spencer Jones ISBN: 9780806144153
Published by University of Oklahoma Press on September 1st 2013
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, Strategy, Modern, 19th Century, Africa, South, Republic of South Africa
Pages: 312
Len's Summary: Key tactical lessons learned on the veldt and applied by the British Army during the interwar years, 1902-1913.
Organized Patriotism and the Crucible of War: Popular Imperialism in Britain, 1914-1932
Organized Patriotism and the Crucible of War: Popular Imperialism in Britain, 1914-1932 by Matthew C. Hendley ISBN: 9780773539617
Published by McGill-Queen's University Press on February 27th 2012
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Social Science, Women's Studies
Pages: 360
Len's Summary: Shows how the strains and stresses of war reshaped popular patriotism and imperialism in Britain by comparing the pre- and post-war histories of three major patriotic organizations.
The Mediterranean Fleet 1919-1929
The Mediterranean Fleet 1919-1929 by Paul Halpern ISBN: 9781409427568
Published by Ashgate Publishing on December 1st 2011
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Modern, 19th Century
Pages: 620
Len's Summary: With the end of WWI, conflicts involving the RN continued in the around the Black Sea, in Turkey and its former territories, and between Turkey and Greece. This is a continuation of Halpern’s 1987 work The Royal Navy in the Mediterranean 1915-1918 (Glower Publishing Company). The author teaches at Florida State and is the leading Anglo-American expert on WWI in the Mediterranean.
The Lion and the Eagle: Anglo-German Naval Confrontation in the Imperial Era – 1815-1919
The Lion and the Eagle: Anglo-German Naval Confrontation in the Imperial Era - 1815-1919 by David J. Gregory ISBN: 9780957286412
Published by David J. Gregory on August 1st 2012
Pages: 490
Len's Summary: First in a planned three-volume set on the Anglo-German naval race.
At Home and under Fire: Air Raids and Culture in Britain from the Great War to the Blitz
At Home and under Fire: Air Raids and Culture in Britain from the Great War to the Blitz by Susan R. Grayzel ISBN: 9781107679412
Published by Cambridge University Press on February 27th 2014
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Modern, 20th Century, Military, World War I, World War II
Pages: 356
Len's Summary: Beginning with Zeppelin and Gotha raids in 1915 -1918, the author traces the civilian response to bombing in two wars and government attempts to cope with the threat to civilian morale.
British Cruisers of the Victorian Era
British Cruisers of the Victorian Era by Norman Friedman ISBN: 9781591140689
Published by Naval Institute Press on November 15th 2012
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, World War I, Other, Naval
Pages: 352
Len's Summary: The last class of these fast, lightly-protected cruisers designed mainly to serve at far-flung foreign stations was built in 1906. Many, though obsolescent, served in WWI.
First World War Britain: 1914-1919
First World War Britain: 1914-1919 by Peter Doyle ISBN: 9780747810988
Published by Shire Publications on June 19th 2012
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, World War I, Social History
Pages: 80
Len's Summary: Life on the home front. Outlines the social upheaval, official restrictions and privations of total war that impacted the home front.
Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest
Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest by Wade Davis ISBN: 9780375708152
Published by Vintage Books on October 2nd 2012
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Historical, Adventurers & Explorers, History, Europe, Great Britain, Expeditions & Discoveries
Pages: 655
Len's Summary: First published in hardcover by Knopf in 2011, this is the story of how battle-scarred WWI veterans conquered Mt. Everest for the first time.
Suvla: August Offensive – Gallipoli
Suvla: August Offensive - Gallipoli by Stephen Chambers ISBN: 9781848845435
Published by Pen and Sword on February 2012
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, World War I, Middle East, Turkey & Ottoman Empire
Pages: 250
Len's Summary: Battle analysis and tour guide wrapped into one volume. -- Story of a mismanaged initially unopposed landing that led only to stalemate.
British Battleships of World War One
British Battleships of World War One by R. A. Burt ISBN: 9781591140535
Published by Naval Institute Press on November 15th 2012
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, World War I, Naval, Transportation, Ships & Shipbuilding
Pages: 352
Len's Summary: Revised edition of an excellent and detailed reference work.
The Edwardian Army: Manning, Training, and Deploying the British Army, 1902-1914
The Edwardian Army: Manning, Training, and Deploying the British Army, 1902-1914 by Timothy Bowman ISBN: 0199542783
Published by Oxford University Press on September 26th 2012
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Modern, 20th Century, Military, General
Pages: 288
Len's Summary: The shock of the Boer War led to massive reform in the British Army increasing its readiness, but not necessarily preparing it for The Great War
Winning and Losing on the Western Front: The British Third Army and the Defeat of Germany in 1918
Winning and Losing on the Western Front: The British Third Army and the Defeat of Germany in 1918 by Jonathan Boff ISBN: 9781107449022
Published by Cambridge University Press on November 20th 2014
Genres: History, Military, General, Europe, Great Britain, Modern, 20th Century
Pages: 310
Len's Summary: The final 100 days’ battles drawing on British and German archival material.
Churchill and Sea Power
Churchill and Sea Power by Christopher M. Bell ISBN: 9780199693573
Published by OUP Oxford on October 25th 2012
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Historical, Military, History, Europe, Great Britain, General, World War I, World War II, Naval, Modern, 20th Century
Pages: 429
Len's Summary: Analysis of Churchill’s controversial role in as political head of the Royal Navy in two world wars.
Edwardian Requiem: A Life of Sir Edward Grey
Edwardian Requiem: A Life of Sir Edward Grey by Michael Waterhouse ISBN: 9781849544436
Published by Biteback Publishing on March 12th 2013
Pages: 429
Len's Summary: An account of the career of a major figure in British Liberal Party politics and diplomacy during the period leading up to WWI. During Grey’s incumbency as Foreign Secretary, Great Britain solidified the entente with France and moved toward a special relationship with America.
The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince
The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince by Jane Ridley ISBN: 9780812972634
Published by Random House Incorporated on August 12th 2014
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Historical, Royalty, History, Europe, Great Britain
Pages: 726
Len's Summary: How Queen Victoria’s least favorite son became an effective, respected constitutional monarch and a principal architect of the 1904 Anglo-French Entente. Also in Kindle for $12.59.
Great Britain’s Great War
Great Britain's Great War by Jeremy Paxman ISBN: 9780670919635
Published by Penguin UK on June 1st 2014
Pages: 356
Len's Summary: Social history: The day-to day British life by a prolific author, broadcaster and journalist known for his 2014 WWI documentary series for the BBC. -- Acerbic and witty attempt to capture the mood and morale of a nation engaged in what the author labels a senseless war.
Prisoners of Britain: German Civilian and Combatant Internees During the First World War
Prisoners of Britain: German Civilian and Combatant Internees During the First World War by Panikos Panayi ISBN: 9780719078347
Published by Manchester University Press on February 5th 2013
Genres: History, Europe, Germany, Great Britain, Military, World War I
Pages: 272
Len's Summary: By the end of the war, Britain held prisoner an unprecedented number of POWs and enemy aliens: over half a million worldwide including some 160,000 at one camp on the Isle of Man.
The Foreign Office Mind: The Making of British Foreign Policy, 1865-1914
The Foreign Office Mind: The Making of British Foreign Policy, 1865-1914 by T. G. Otte ISBN: 9781107613102
Published by Cambridge University Press on August 22nd 2013
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Modern, General, 20th Century, Political Science, International Relations
Pages: 468
Len's Summary: Study of the underlying principles and elite perceptions that shaped British foreign policy before the outbreak of WWI. -- How British elites shaped foreign policy — a look at the pre-1914 arms race, balance of powder in Europe and the causes of WWI.
Militarism and the British Left, 1902-1914
Militarism and the British Left, 1902-1914 by Matthew Johnson ISBN: 9781137274120
Published by Palgrave Macmillan on January 18th 2013
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain, Military, Other, Modern, 20th Century, Social History
Pages: 247
Len's Summary: Prior to 1914, British socialists, Liberals and Laborites displayed ambivalent attitudes toward the military services.
From the Front Line: The Extraordinary Life of Sir Basil Clarke
From the Front Line: The Extraordinary Life of Sir Basil Clarke by Richard Evans ISBN: 9780752494296
Published by History Press Limited on September 1st 2013
Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Military, History, Europe, Great Britain
Pages: 240
Len's Summary: An intrepid war correspondent reported on the war from Flanders and on the Somme, covered the Irish Easter Rising of 1916, became the UK’s first public relations officer in 1917, and in 1924 founded the first British public relations firm.
Pubs and Patriots: The Drink Crisis in Britain during World War One
Pubs and Patriots: The Drink Crisis in Britain during World War One by Robert Duncan ISBN: 9781846318955
Published by Liverpool University Press on November 15th 2013
Genres: History, Europe, Great Britain
Pages: 262
Len's Summary: Lloyd George flirts with prohibition and limits pub opening hours ostensibly to keep munitions and other war industries workers sober. Restricted pub opening hours remained in effect into the 1980s.
President’s Quarterly Update—April 2024
Dear Members and Friends,
I’m extremely pleased with the level of WW1HA’s activities, some of which may be unseen by you.
Our Journal, “World War One Illustrated,” is now published three times a year with an average length of 48 pages. Each issue is filled with high-quality articles covering a variety of topics, including the popular “My Kin in the Great War” series.
Our electronic newsletter, “Here and There with the WW1HA” is published monthly, with an assortment of Association events and articles covering WW1 topics.
Sal Compagno’s San Francisco Bay Area Chapter continues to hold monthly meetings via Zoom, while Mark Benbow’s Eastern Chapter is holding quarterly meetings.
As President, I am also hosting a quarterly “Fireside Chat” online. The last one emphasized WW1 poetry. The next one will emphasize WW1-era music.
If you’re already a member, I thank you for your membership and encourage you to take part in these activities. If you’re not a member, I ask you to join and participate in these activities. Participate in the events and consider submitting an article for the journal or newsletter.
Reach out to me with your comments: lavarennes@meuse-argonne.com.
Regards,
Randy Gaulke
