Armoured Warfare in the British Army 1914-1939

Armoured Warfare in the British Army 1914-1939 written by Lt Col Dick Taylor

and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25.00 - Hardback - Pages 248

This is the first volume in a three-volume illustrated history of the evolution of armoured manoeuvre warfare in the British army, covering the period from 1914 until 1939. Author Dick Taylor’s tour de force covers the evolution of the tank and armoured cars in response to the specific conditions created by trench warfare, the history of the use of tanks during the war, as well as the critical period between the wars in which the tank was both refined and neglected. He also looks in detail at the amalgamations and mechanization of the horsed cavalry which led to the formation of the Royal Armoured Corps in 1939.

His detailed and absorbing narrative covers the social and human aspects of the story as well as the technology and explains how the nation that invented and first fielded the tank in 1916 struggled to maintain the lead after the Armistice.

This book or small book series takes a look at tanks during the Great War and up until the Second World War. Unfortunately, the British tank was never a going to be the best in the world, but it was the first. This book explains the reasons for this from political in-fighting, to there no being group thinking to improve on the original tanks and therefore not enough money put into the weapon in the inter-war period. This book should be commended for the very comprehensive information and detail within, the author Dick Taylor has done a fantastic job I feel I have learnt so much from this book. The book contains a lot of information tables and some really good photographs of the process and design.

If I wanted to learn about the British tank, I would most certainly recommend this one and this is just the first in a series of three. This is a highly commendable book, very well written and well done.

Cricket in the First World War - Play Up! Play the Game

Cricket in the First World War - Play Up! Play the Game written by John Broom and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25.00 - Hardback - Pages 272

As Europe descended into war over the summer of 1914, cricket in England continued as it had for the preceding few decades. Counties continued with their championship programme, clubs in the North and Midlands maintained their league and cup rivalries whilst less competitive clubs elsewhere enjoyed friendly matches. However, voices were soon raised in criticism of this ‘business as usual’ approach – most notably that of cricket’s Grand Old Man, W.G. Grace. Names became absent from first-class and club scorecards as players left for military service and by the end of the year it was clear that 1915’s cricket season would be very different.

And so it would continue for four summers. Rolls of honour lengthened as did the grim lists of cricket’s dead and maimed. Some club cricket did continue in wartime Britain, often amidst bitter disputes as to its appropriateness. Charity matches were organised to align the game with the national war effort.

As the British Empire rallied behind the mother country, so cricket around the world became restricted and players from far and wide joined the sad ranks of sacrifice.

Cricket emerged into the post-war world initially unsure of itself but the efforts that had been made to sustain the game’s infrastructure during the conflict ensured that it would experience a second golden age between the wars.

These books Pen & Sword publish about cricket as they are so quintessentially English, and reading through this book the Englishness comes through, as I mean which other country in the world would go into a world war and still the cricket season must carry on as normal.  Even though this book does come across as very English in my opinion, there is an overwhelming feeling of sadness. As the book is written in a chronological format as it goes year by year, so we have an order of big Great War battles and what comes across is as each battle occurs many men are called up and so the registered players for their counties go down. There is a nice Memoriam section at the back of the book that feels quite fitting, I should also say that there is an excellent sources section too that spans the globe, ideal for those interested in further reading. This book has been very well researched and written and I really enjoy a John Broom cricket book.  

Boy Soldiers of the Great War

Boy Soldiers of the Great War written by Richard Van Emden and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 488

After the outbreak of the Great War, boys as young as twelve were caught up in a national wave of patriotism and, in huge numbers, volunteered to serve their country. The press, recruiting offices and the Government all contributed to the enlistment of hundreds of thousands of under-age soldiers in both Britain and the Empire. On joining up, these lads falsified their ages, often aided by parents who believed their sons’ obvious youth would make overseas service unlikely.

These boys frequently enlisted together, training for a year or more in the same battalions before they were sent abroad. Others joined up but were soon sent to units already fighting overseas and short of men: these lads might undergo as little as eight weeks’ training.

Boys served in the bloodiest battles of the war, fighting at Ypres, the Somme and on Gallipoli. Many broke down under the strain and were returned home once parents supplied birth certificates proving their youth. Other lads fought on bravely and were even awarded medals for gallantry: Jack Pouchot won the Distinguished Conduct Medal aged just fifteen. Others became highly efficient officers, such as Acting Captain Philip Lister and Second Lieutenant Reginald Battersby, both of whom were commissioned at fifteen and fought in France.

In this, the final update of his ground-breaking book, Richard van Emden reveals new hitherto unknown stories and adds many more unseen images. He also proves that far more boys enlisted in the British Army under age than originally estimated, providing compelling evidence that as many as 400,000 served.

This book looks like a corker just from the cover and the description. A fascinating book that looks at the lives, backgrounds and experiences of boys who had managed to get recruited for the British Army in various ways, many through lying, giving wrong information and some being allowed by officials looking the other way. As for the reasons for wanting to volunteer to go to war, some of the reasons might seem surprising, but the idealism of young people can often hide the reality of what might come. What was to come was often horrific as we know many men young and old died or suffered hellish consequences from what was an unimaginable war. The work, research and writing by the author Richard Van Emden is splendid and very well done. I of course would highly recommend this book to anyone new or old to the subject, certainly in the running for book of the year.