UPDATE.

With the easing of lockdown our social activities have increased somewhat over the past week or two. In addition the consistently warm dry weather has provoked some toil in the garden. Nevertheless I have been able to continue modelling. I have now completed 12 of 46 upgrades and  have a total of 54,056 soldiers with the colours. 

I have recently identified an opportunity to increase the number of foot soldiers in both Cavalry and Horse Artillery regiments. Until now I have worked on the basis that foot soldiers in these regiments are transported on the various vehicles on a ratio of two soldiers on each vehicle. Following some photographic research I have concluded that while each limber can only carry two men, the larger light GS trailers and ammunition caissons could carry four. I have not yet worked out how many additional troops this will involve but I already know that the Horse Artillery gun teams are a little small as are the medical and signals units. 

It has been a while since I published an installment of my Imagi-Nations saga. I am working on the next episode and hope to post that early next week for those interested.

I apologise to those who find my recent book reviews to be uninteresting as they are non military. I just wanted a change of reading material. There will be a couple more "hunting" book reviews after which I guess I will return to more familiar territory.

BOOK REVIEW. CARPET SAHIB.

 

Following on from the last book review I have now re-read a book from my library detailing the life of Jim Corbett, the famous Indian man eater hunter. The title reflects the local pronunciation of Corbett and was the title by which he was generally known in the hills of Kumaon.

Although not an authorised biography, having been written 30 odd years after his death, it gives a fair and balanced account of his personal history. Many of his surviving contemporaries were interviewed and their reflections are faithfully recorded. Also included are elements of all six of his books and a good history of his family tree. His military service in both world wars is also reviewed.

Not only does the book detail Jim's life but also the world in which he lived  and the book is good reading on that account also. Overall an interesting account of a fascinating life well lived.

BOOK REVIEW. THE MAN-EATING LEOPARD OF RUDRAPRAYAG.

 

Now for something very different to my normal offerings. I have had an interest in hunting and stories of man eating big cats for a very long time and have many books on these topics. I wanted a change so chose this book from my library.

Jim Corbett was a very famous hunter of man eating tigers in India starting in around 1902 until late in the 1930s. In fact the Corbett Tiger Reserve is named after him. It occupies much of the area where Jim was born and lived most of his life and was the first tiger reserve in India. I am delighted to say I have been there on one of our visits to India. Unfortunately we did not see a tiger during our four day stay but did see an elephant pushing a tree over so as to eat the leaves at the top, very impressive.

Jim wrote only six books all of which I have. This one was the second and relates the two years in 1925-6 that Jim hunted the leopard. It is generally considered his best book although the first, Man Eaters Of Kumaon, is the most famous. It is the only book that deals with just one animal and gives the most spine tingling account of what it was like to hunt a man eating leopard that killed over 125 people during an 8 year rein of terror. 

I am a great fan of Jim Corbett. His writing is clear, concise and down to earth. His exploits are related with a large degree of humility and a great deal of sympathy for the local people. He loved India and her people and indeed was one of them as both he and his parents had all been born there. He led an interesting and exciting life that, although it overlapped mine by three years, describes a world that has now largely vanished. 

If you ever get the chance to read a Jim Corbett book please do so, you will not be disappointed.

BOOK REVIEW. IN GOOD COMPANY.

The last of my Christmas books. This volume comprises the letters and diaries of an officer of the Gordon Highlanders. He had joined as a second lieutenant in 1912 and was serving with his battalion in Egypt at the outbreak of war. They arrived in France in October 1914 and other than while recovering from wounds he served continuously until the Armistice in 1918 by which time he was a 28 year old Lt. Colonel commanding his battalion.

This book is a wonderful account of a brave and distinguished soldier's life in the trenches for four long years. Apart from the narratives of the fighting , there are many interesting references to his personal life and experiences. The book is edited by his son , also a distinguished soldier, and was originally published in 1990.

This is without doubt one of the best books I have ever read on the First World War by any soldier. With his continuous service, numerous medals  and rapid promotions he was clearly a very competent officer. This enables a narrative that covers not only the actual fighting but also includes intelligent comment on  the overall conduct of the war including the apparently endless mistakes by both politicians and generals inevitable in an army that grew so suddenly from an imperial police force to a multi million strong body.

A very highly recommended book to all those interested in the First World War.

UPDATE.

Work continues on the 46 upgrades with 9  completed and 53,600 soldiers now with the Colours. Some readers may have noticed that I have not posted any recent Imagi-Nations articles. Although I have about six more chapters roughed out in my head I still have a number of battles to war game before I can set pen to paper. In addition I note that not too many people are following these articles any more. Maybe they have got a bit predictable. Anyway I have not been motivated to write much recently so will not be in any rush to publish more for the time being. In the meantime I will still publish book reviews as book reading never stops for me !!!!! Over the coming weeks I have also got to restart a number of domestic projects which will take more of my time all of which means that I may not publish as much over the coming weeks as I have been doing over the past months. As ever please let me have comments as they very much inform the contents of my blog.

BOOK REVIEW. A GUNNER's GREAT WAR.

 

This, another of my Christmas presents, is an interesting but disappointing book.  It is based on the journal of an artillery soldier's service in the First World War from his volunteering in 1915 until his discharge on returning from India in November 1919. After recovering from being wounded in February 1918 he was sent to India in August 1918. He wrote his journal sometime during the late 1920's or early 30's and it lay unread among his possessions until his death. Having had no children the journal ended up being handed to the Societe Jersiaise, a history group in his native Jersey. The editor was then commissioned to turn the journal into a book.

The editor decided that rather than publish the entire journal, with perhaps some historic context as is usual in such cases, he would use the journal simply to introduce chapters detailing the whole history of World War One. As a result we have here a simple First World War history with what seems to be, only a very small amount of the original journal. That may be an injustice but the amount of the original writings seems incredibly small for over four years of service. I cannot seriously believe that each year of service only produced three or four pages of narrative. The rest of the book is just another general history book.

As you might expect, the original narrative is very interesting although clearly very reduced, while the rest is just the editors own version of a First World War history book. So very disappointing and , in my opinion, a waste of a genuinely interesting first hand journal.