Ian Isherwood’s The Battalion tells the story of the 8th Battalion, The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment, a K3 Kitchener battalion that fought on the Western Front with the 24th Division during the Great War. Using personal letters, memoirs, and diaries from the battalion, especially those of one commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh John Chevallier ‘Jack’ Peirs, the book seeks to explore how ordinary citizens became soldiers and coped with the harsh realities of war. The project originated when Peirs’ correspondence, held at Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania, in the United States, sparked interest among American academics. This is unusual, as the history of the Great War in the USA is largely unknown, let alone the activity of the British Army. Peirs’ letters formed the foundation for a digital history project (www.jackpeirs.org), and Isherwood’s book developed from this work, focusing on the battalion’s experiences in major battles like Loos, the Somme, Passchendaele,.. Read more
The Western Front Association

"Another masterly book from Nick Jellicoe - fascinating and stimulating covering not just the convoy debate side pieces on U-boat action accounts and technical explanations – very highly recommended."
Peter Wykeham-Martin

Written with the full support of the family, this excellent biography tells the story of a distinguished founder member of the Royal Air Force. Initially serving in the ranks as an infantryman, in 1915 Brian Baker transferred to the RFC and started operational flying in France with just 12 hours flying experience! He was one of the lucky few that survived and later served as a flight commander as the first Bristol Fighter squadron with which he gained a dozen victories in the summer of 1917. By the end of the war, he was in command of a Home Defence squadron and opted to remain in the newly formed peacetime RAF. He was initially a flying instructor and later served on aircraft carriers. Rising through the ranks he served in many pivotal posts through WW2 including a key role in D-Day planning. Post war he was CinC Transport Command that included planning the Berlin Airlift. Crisply written with the benefit of access to family papers and personal letters, this is a well-crafted story of.. Read more
Andrew Thomas - Author and Historian

[link=https://blitzwalkers.blogspot.com/2024/12/gotha-terror-forgotten-blitz-1917-1918.html]BOOK REVIEW[/link]
Blitzwalkers

“Richard Batten’s book provides a rich, intriguing and insightful exploration of Devon society during the Great War, challenging the view that an increasingly dominant central state played in mobilising the Home Front by focusing instead on self-appointed ‘provincial patriots’ from among the country elites whose continuing influence was both crucial but also often resisted and resented by their compatriots.”
Dr Tim Rees, University of Exeter