Member: pjlambert

Hi Peter!
Hell in the Holy Land concentrates on the campaigns in Egypt, Israel, Syria, and Jordan under the command of General Allenby.
I have a book on the Mesopotamian campaign of World War I:
Battles on the Tigris: The Mesopotamian Campaign of the First World War by Ron Wilcox. Barnsley, S. Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military, 2006. Hardcover, 246 pages
I have looked through the book. From a scholarly standpoint there are no notes and a minimal bibliography, but I think it would give you a good overview of the campaign.
Thank you for your kind remarks about my library. I try to keep adding more books. I catalog new books as I get them on Library Thing, and have a backlog of other titles to catalog eventually.

posted by DVanderlinde at 1:09 pm (EST) on May 7, 2009

Hi Peter,
"With the First in the Field" is a long rambling private publication the would have benefitted from a good editor. That said it is a rather unique document.
He joined the RMLI in 1905. Was involved with Naval Rigid Airship 1 at Barrow in 1912, then seems to have got involed with Kite Ballons for several years. Chapter on KB's in France and Belgium 1915. Then onto Egypt and Iraq with 14 KB Section 1916-17, which I guess is what you were asking about.
I've not read the book for many, many years but recall that I found the post war period more interesting. My views might be different today, if I ever get around to it again - too many books, too little time. I've quickly looked through it just now, and there are many asides and not much meat. If you are really interested let me know and will try to copy the relevant chapters for you.
Regards,
Ian

posted by JenIanB at 3:59 pm (EST) on Dec 23, 2008

G'day Peter,
And many thanks for your kind comments. I've taken a further look at Omissi's 'Indian Voices of the Great War' and with your question in mind.
The book is very logically laid out in precise chronological order. Therein are 657 letters mostly from serving members of the many Indian regiments, but some balance is brought by responses that emanate from say a family member back home.

The headings above each letter give the date, the original language (mostly Urdu, Hindi and Pushtan) and a source location, like 'France', 'Brighton', 'England' and 'Peshawar'.
So with ease one is able to find that there are surprisingly few listed that were penned from Mesopotamia. To be precise there is one letter each as coming from: Shiraz, Persia; Persian Gulf; and two that have the source 'Mesopotamia'. I hope there is space enough to give you a taste of the briefest as follows:
>
16th Cavalry/Mesopotamia/[Urdu]/30th January 1916
We have got a fine opportunity of fighting. No doubt you are right in thinking that you too are fighting; but you are having a very different time from us, for you have everything you want while the country here is absolutely uninhabited and desolate. Never mind: when we are winning we are equally indifferent to comfort and inconvenience. [Letter passed]
>
Will try and alert you if something with a bit more meat for you comes by this neck of the woods!
my regards, greg gregory. Perth, Ozz.

posted by gregperth1 at 7:28 am (EST) on Sep 5, 2008

Hi Peter,
Wish I could say there was Mespot content - another sale is always welcome!
Ben-my-Chree never got further than Aden - not bad for an Isle of Man Steam Packet though - and all operations described are Gallipoli, Eastern Med, Red Sea and Aden.
Ian

posted by JenIanB at 4:49 pm (EST) on Aug 10, 2008

Hi Peter,
Re: Armed With Stings. There is very little on the Mespot operations, probably less than 10 pages out of 200. The book mainly concentrates on the WW2 operations :-(
I recently bought the reprint of Tigris Gunboats by Wilfred Nunn (Chatham, 2007). Great on the early riverine operations when Nunn was in command of HMS Espiegle, but less coverage on the later Insect-class operations.
There really is very little, well at least what I've come across, that's not buried as a sidebar to the Official History of popular histories.
If you ever find anything, please let me know.
Cheers, Ian

posted by JenIanB at 4:32 pm (EST) on Aug 4, 2008

Hi Peter, I'm plugging away on my library as well. I haven't finished my First World War section yet, but my interest is more on the British one the Western Front, though I have a few on the minor fronts as well.

I'm a Vermont College MA grad from 89 and have been with the MMH online Program since its inception in 2005, it's been a rare treat.

Doc John B.

posted by docjohnb at 10:02 pm (EST) on Jan 24, 2008

Hello Peter, My apologies for being so slow to respond, but I've been out of town for a while. As for who's a descendant of John Alden in my family, that would be my wife and daughter. They're also descendants of Francis Cooke and both of them belong to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Do you belong? I have ancestors proved nearly back to the Mayflower, but haven't found a link yet. Someday, perhaps.... I notice you're a fan of British military history. Would you by any chance have a photo or competent drawing of either or both (both preferably) a sergeant and a major of the Rifle Brigade, WWI era, that is not under copyright, or know where I might get them? I could use them for my work with _The Lord Peter Wimsey Companion_ and Lord Peter was a major in that unit and his man, Bunter, was his sergeant. The Royal Army Museum does not have any and the Imperial War Museum has thus far failed to respond to my inquiry. Best wishes, Steve Clarke

posted by spclarke at 8:38 pm (EST) on Jul 10, 2007

Hello Peter, Thanks for your note, I have some more books on WW1 in Mesopotamia which have just been entered under tag "WW1 Mesopotamia". Keep in touch re your proposed annotated bibliography.
Kind Regards, Zosimus

posted by Zosimus at 6:29 pm (EST) on Jun 24, 2007