Product Description

Edward Roe’s diary is a rare example of a professional private soldier’s account of the First World War in the early years in France, in Gallipoli, and finally the campaign in Mesopotamia, which is now modern day Iraq.
The ‘sleep-marching’ retreat from Mons is impressively described. When the BEF counter-attacked, Roe was in the midst of the crossing of the Marne and the BEF’s first experience of trench warfare after crossing the Aisne.
In October 1914, the 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment was transferred to the trench line known as Ploegsteert, or ‘Plugstreet’ at Armentieres. Roe gives a fascinating and detailed insight into the daily life of the infantryman in the line and at Xmas 1914 he describes the meetings in no-man’s-land and lists the ‘Unofficial truce’ to be observed by both sides.
Finally in April 1915 the Lancashire is moved to Ypres and the bloody battlefield around Shell Trap Farm. Gas attacks, listening posts and German attacks are all detailed in the diary along with observation on the war and trench life.
Wounded at Ypres, Roe was drafted to the 6th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment in Gallipoli. He was one of the firing squad who executed a young soldier accused of twice being absent from his unit and was part of the rear-guard as the whole army re-embarked and evacuated Gallipoli.
In February 1916, the battalion was sent to Mesopotamia to be part of 38 Brigade in the 13th Division of the Tigris Corps in an attempt to relieve General Townshend besieged in Kut.
Again the daily diary and observations are fascinating as the Tigris Corps moves up the Tigris River. The attacks at El Hanna and Sannaiyat are detailed from the meeting of the order groups to the ‘dressing’ for the attack and the final advance itself.
In November 1916 he was fit enough to be involved in the operations on the Hai forcing the Turks from their defensive positions around Kut.
The Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force continued its advance to Baghdad with actions at Shumran Bend and crossing the Diyala River. Finally Baghdad is reached in March 1917.
In between the action Roe writes of the countryside, the Arabs, the Seasons, humorous incidents and individuals within his unit.
This very readable diary will be informative to any person with interest in the First World War and will be an excellent addition to any library.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #330975 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

Review
Private Edward Roe receives his call up to the so called Great War on 5 August 1914, little realising that the clock of Christianity has just started ticking backwards; marking the beginning of his 'Hells Bells' diaries of daily life on the front line. His prose is a combination of close proximity machine-gun fire and distant, often misplaced, artillery bombardment; from doing nothing one day he is caught between crossfire the next. Shot in Ypres and later wounded again in Mesopotamia, Roe chillingly recalls the 'heroic dead' strewn across battlefields; where he carries not just weapons and rations, but a ticket of his own in this lottery of death. Between mouthfuls of bully-beef and biscuits there is a reminder of Christmas 1914, in the trenches, when war-worn men downed tools and took to No Man's Land only for peace to be destroyed by another outburst of paranoia. (Kirkus UK)

From the Publisher
Edward Roe's diaries are exceptional in a number of respects. Not only do they cover active service in three major theatres of the Great War, namely Northern France, Gallipoli and Mesopotamia, but the diarist was one of the lucky few to survive the five years of conflict, albeit being wounded severely on two occasions. Yet, perhaps the most remarkable aspect of all is the fact they are written by a professional private soldier possessing the most extraordinary natural talent for descriptive writing. The fact that Roe remained a fighting man means that his diaries describe the daily life and conditions in the frontline.
Thanks to his lucid prose, the reader accompanies Private Roe on the retreat from Mons, 1914; shares the experiences of the first Christmas of the war; witnesses the early days of trench warfare and the terrifying gas attacks and bitter fighting at Ypres. Later we accompany him, after his recovery from wounds, to Gallipoli where he is with the rear-guard as the misconceived and ill-fated venture is aborted.
The record continues with Roe's battalion being sent to Mesopotamia as part of the Tigris Corps in an attempt to relieve General Townshend at Kut. Wounded at Sannaiyat, he returns in time to describe the advance to and seizure of Baghdad.
Diary of an Old Contemptible is compelling reading for both those with a detailed knowledge of The Great War and also for those who wish to gain a unique insight into the experiences of a young soldier caught up in the conflict.

From the Author
During the First World War Edward Roe was well known within the Lancashire Regiment as the battalion diarist. Such was his writing skill that he was also in great demand by the soldiers to write their letters home, a job that he greatly disliked and tried to avoid. His diaries were gifted to the Regimental Museum in the early 1950’s.
I was asked to transcribe the diaries of Private Edward Roe by the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment as they felt they were worthy of being published and, hopefully, widely read.
The diary is accompanied by extensive footnotes from regimental war diaries, letters and personal diaries of other members of the regiment. All these are previously unpublished primary source material.
Apart from the military activity the diary also has many humorous stories, keen observation and comment on day-to-day life on the front from the point of view of a pre-war professional private soldier.
All Royalties from the book sales are being donated to the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment Charity Fund.

Customer Reviews

easy to read account of world war one
The Diary of an Old Contemptible is an excellent, first person account of life in the trenches of the first world war. Peter Downham has captured the words of Edward Roe accurately, researched the information extensively, and presented a book which transports the reader away from the shores of Ireland all the way to Baghdad with no glamour or emotion. Thus he has produced a book which is not alone easy to read, but accurate in its facts, and as such would make an excellent addition to any school library.Progressing through the book, sharing the often horrific experiences of Roe, one finds oneself developing a close affinity with this man; by the time one reaches the final pages, the reader cannot but help be full of admiration for a man who, with minimal education, has been able to maintain a diary with such eloquence, accuracy and humour alongside the wonderful story telling ability of the Irish.