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Diary of an Old Contemptible: Private Edward Roe East Lancashire Regiment From Mons to Baghdad 1914-1919
Author(s): Peter Downham
- Publisher: Leo Cooper Ltd
- Publication Date: 13 July 2004
- Language: English
- Print length: 352 pages
- ISBN-10: 1844151352
- ISBN-13: 9781844151356
Book Description
This is a most unusual chronicle of the events of one man during the Great War. A professional soldier at the outbreak, Edward Roe was one of the first to cross over to France in 1914 and as such fought in the early battles of the war and took part in the Retreat from Mons. He was there for the crossing of the Marne and Aisne, the dreadful fighting at Ploegsteert and for the extraordinary events during the first Christmas. Remarkably he witnessed the debacle at Gallipoli and was part of the rear-guard of the Army during the re-embarkation and evacuation of the Peninsula. Thereafter the scene shifts to Mesopotania and the Tigris Corps in the attempt to relieve General Townshend at Kut. Wounded he returned for the final campaign that captured Baghdad.
Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
Edward Roe’s diaries are exceptional in a number of respects. Not only do they cover active service in three major theatres of the Great War, namely Northern France, Gallipoli and Mesopotamia, but the diarist was one of the lucky few to survive the five years of conflict, albeit being wounded severely on two occasions. Yet, perhaps the most remarkable aspect of all is the fact they are written by a professional private soldier possessing the most extraordinary natural talent for descriptive writing. The fact that Roe remained a fighting man means that his diaries describe the daily life and conditions in the frontline.
Thanks to his lucid prose, the reader accompanies Private Roe on the retreat from Mons, 1914; shares the experiences of the first Christmas of the war; witnesses the early days of trench warfare and the terrifying gas attacks and bitter fighting at Ypres. Later we accompany him, after his recovery from wounds, to Gallipoli where he is with the rear-guard as the misconceived and ill-fated venture is aborted.
The record continues with Roe’s battalion being sent to Mesopotamia as part of the Tigris Corps in an attempt to relieve General Townshend at Kut. Wounded at Sannaiyat, he returns in time to describe the advance to and seizure of Baghdad.
Diary of an Old Contemptible is compelling reading for both those with a detailed knowledge of The Great War and also for those who wish to gain a unique insight into the experiences of a young soldier caught up in the conflict.
Thanks to his lucid prose, the reader accompanies Private Roe on the retreat from Mons, 1914; shares the experiences of the first Christmas of the war; witnesses the early days of trench warfare and the terrifying gas attacks and bitter fighting at Ypres. Later we accompany him, after his recovery from wounds, to Gallipoli where he is with the rear-guard as the misconceived and ill-fated venture is aborted.
The record continues with Roe’s battalion being sent to Mesopotamia as part of the Tigris Corps in an attempt to relieve General Townshend at Kut. Wounded at Sannaiyat, he returns in time to describe the advance to and seizure of Baghdad.
Diary of an Old Contemptible is compelling reading for both those with a detailed knowledge of The Great War and also for those who wish to gain a unique insight into the experiences of a young soldier caught up in the conflict.
From the Author
During the First World War Edward Roe was well known within the Lancashire Regiment as the battalion diarist. Such was his writing skill that he was also in great demand by the soldiers to write their letters home, a job that he greatly disliked and tried to avoid. His diaries were gifted to the Regimental Museum in the early 1950s.
I was asked to transcribe the diaries of Private Edward Roe by the Queens Lancashire Regiment as they felt they were worthy of being published and, hopefully, widely read.
The diary is accompanied by extensive footnotes from regimental war diaries, letters and personal diaries of other members of the regiment. All these are previously unpublished primary source material.
Apart from the military activity the diary also has many humorous stories, keen observation and comment on day-to-day life on the front from the point of view of a pre-war professional private soldier.
All Royalties from the book sales are being donated to the Queens Lancashire Regiment Charity Fund.
I was asked to transcribe the diaries of Private Edward Roe by the Queens Lancashire Regiment as they felt they were worthy of being published and, hopefully, widely read.
The diary is accompanied by extensive footnotes from regimental war diaries, letters and personal diaries of other members of the regiment. All these are previously unpublished primary source material.
Apart from the military activity the diary also has many humorous stories, keen observation and comment on day-to-day life on the front from the point of view of a pre-war professional private soldier.
All Royalties from the book sales are being donated to the Queens Lancashire Regiment Charity Fund.
