|
|
This entry in Oldfield’s very impressive series of books on the Victoria Cross winners of the First World War covers the Third Battle of Ypres, probably the most notorious battle of the entire war. This book follows the same format as other entries in the series. We start with accounts of each of the battles, focusing on the incidents that led to the award of the Victoria Cross. This covers about the first third of the book. The second part, filling two thirds of the book, gives detailed biographies of the Victoria Cross winners.
The combat chapters show that the common view of the fighting, with men cut down as they leave their trenches or stuck in the wire isn’t accurate. In many of these cases the attackers succesful achieve their initial objectives, taking the German front lines. The problems come after that, as the Germans react, their artillery cuts off reinforcements, counterattacks are launched against isolated British forces and communication back to the British lines break down.
The combat chapters are excellent, combining good accounts of the fighting with a guide to exploring the area now. The VC winning actions are placed into the wider context of the day, giving us a better understanding of where their award fits into the overall battle than is often the case. The accounts are supported by a wide range of maps and photographs, both wartime and modern.
For me the only flaw in this book is that Oldfield actually includes rather too much material in the potted biographies, in particular about other families members. A random dip into the section gives a good example of this. For Sergeant Lewis McGee of the 40th Australian Infantry Battalion we get brief biographies of his ten siblings, which includes a sub-section giving brief accounts of the military careers of three of his brother John’s children and of his eleven aunts and uncles. Repeated over the seventy or so VCs covered in this book that fills a lot of space. Details about parents and children are fine, but this goes too far out from the individual for me.
Other than that the biographies are very useful. The information on their pre- (and sometimes post-) war lives is fascinating. Each finishes with details of places where the VC winner is commemorated, and the current location of their medals. As well as providing good information on the individuals we also get a idea of how different the backgrounds of these men were, with men from every social level and all across the Empire being warded the Victoria Cross.
This is another splendid entry in what will inevitably be the definitive reference work on the Victoria Crosses of the First World War.
Chapters
1 - Battle of Pilkem Ridge
2 - Local Operations in France August 1917
3 - Battle of Langemarck
4 - Local Operations September 1917
5 - Battle of the Menin Road
6 - Battle of Polygon Wood
7 - Battle of Broodseinde
8 - Battle of Poelcappelle
9 - The Battles of Passchendaele
10 - Biographies
Author: Paul Oldfield
Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 828
Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
Year: 2017