Product Description

The 100 obituaries in this collection were chosen to show the widest range of military experience. They include those who performed astonishing acts of bravery, such as the New Zealander Charles Upham, who won the Victoria Cross twice in North Africa, the commando leader "Mad Jack" Churchill and Drum Major Buss, the bugler who rallied the Glosters at the Imjin River in Korea. Among the senior figures are General Mazek, who commanded the Polish 2nd Corps in Normandy, the rigorous Field Marshal Lord Carver and General Sir Walter Walker, who won three DSOs and remained an unflinchingly outspoken critic of Britain's post-war society. However, not every soldier is called upon to concentrate on fighting. Kenneth Merrylees spent his career searching for water on behalf of the Army. James Drew was General Montgomery's postmaster. Among those who enjoyed the high noon of British India are Tony "Raj" Fowler, who was engaged in operations against the Fakir of Ipi on the border of Afghanistan, and the great character of Sir "Honker" Henniker.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #369060 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 512 pages

Customer Reviews

An engaging read.
Having previously spent 27 years serving in the British Army, I was drawn to the entries in this book of, firstly, those who I had known - or even briefly met, during my time in uniform and, secondly, to those of whom I had heard. Finally, the remainder seemed to have earned, between them, every distinction and award it was possible to have earned during lifetimes which witnessed great upheaval throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

An example from my first selection of names is that of Field Marshall Carver - who I well remember meeting on a visit to Northern Ireland in 1974 when he was Chief of the Defence Staff. We were all very impressed by that man. From my second list, the redoubtable Lt Colonel Colin Mitchell of the Argyll's was a figure who engendered much respect and for whom there was a great outpouring of public displeasure when he failed to receive a much-deserved DSO after his very public tour of Aden in 1967 - for which he earned the nickname "Mad Mitch." Elsewhere, there are those who fought and served including recipients of both the Victoria and George Crosses.

This is a fascinating book expertly put together by David Twiston Davies who, for many years was Letters Editor of the Daily Telegraph prior to his being appointed to Obituaries. How refreshing to see him use the word "Military" in the title of this book - as it should be used, in connection with the army and not in connection with armed forces in general. For those who do not understand that distinction, this book contains 100 soldier's obituaries carefully selected to give the reader a cross-section of both ranks and experiences.

It is an engaging read and often hard to put down.

NM

Great bed-time reading, wholy enjoyable
I have already purchased Grub Street's Daily Telegraph Book of Airmen's Obituaries which was a classic read and great to dip in-and-out of. I was extremely happy to see that Grub Street has now released a book of Military Obituaries.

This book is an absolute pleasure to read - and contains some great anecdotes and humour and is not as morbid as some might consider. Presentation must be noted - it is a great size and the presentation is very nice indeed - I especially like the front cover image, which, I believe, is a Bruce Bairnsfather. I'd definitely recommend this title to anyone who has an interest in military history. Great job!