Canada buys rare War of 1812 collection for $573K

Wow, I havent been on the blog for a while, too busy with work. Found this link today and thought I would share:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/06/19/sherbrooke-collection-auction.html

What I am reading, and other thoughts

So I am still reading Townshend's My Campaign, and I am kicking myself that I didn't read it earlier. Every book I have read up to this point, with few exceptions, looks at the surrender of Kut from the position of the relieving forces, or from a micro-view of a combatant within Kut.  Townshend's view is unique, and I am really enjoying it (albeit he is somewhat of self-aggrandizer--if that is a word). More to follow.

What I am reading

While I am still waiting on a number of books to arrive in the mail, I picked up my copy of Maj General Townshend's My Campaign in Mesopotamia.  Not sure why I have never read it, despite having had it sitting on my shelves for the last five or so years.
Interesting so far, with Townshend already pointing the finger at Gen Nixon and others, and I think I have only gotten to the point where he is preparing for his first attack north of Basra.  Good details so far. Look forward to getting to the rest. 
Also received in the mail Glimpses of India, which is an annotated bibliography of memoirs written by Englishmen living in colonial India. More to follow!

New catalogue, random musings

Received my long-anticipated catalogue from Turner Donovan today, here is the link if you are interested:  http://www.turnerdonovan.com/currentCatalogue.aspx?mv=1&sn=5&bc=&subSection=0

Finished reading Rebecca West's Return of the Soldier last night.  Interesting perspective, and a lot different than a lot of the other post-war depictions of "what next" following wounded soldiers returning from the war. I suppose as read today, people might be more attuned to the "upstairs-downstairs" aspect of the book. Overall, not too overwhelmed by what is considered to be a classic. Just didn't grab me as much as I thought it would.

Still waiting for a number of books in the mail...will keep you posted!

New Acquisitions

Purchased a couple of books online this week. The first is an annotated bibliography of Englishmen in colonial India, entitled Glimpses of India. Am hoping to discover some obscure memoirs by British officers who served in Mesopotamia. The second book is Captured at Kut, Prisoner of the Turks: The Great War Diaries of Colonel W. C. Spackman.  Spackman served as a medical officer and was captured after Kut fell. Looking forward to receiving both in the mail shortly. Still havent received my 4-vol set by Moberly...maybe they will all show up this week!

Book Review: Out on a Wing by Sir Miles Thomas

I bought this book for the sole purpose of covering Thomas' experience in WWI, and I am glad that I did. Although brief, it gives some first hand accounting for some very lightly covered area as far as memoirs go. Thomas started out as a driver in an armored car squadron in East Africa, working with Rolls-Royce armored cars, Napier transport vehicles and Model T Fords. Aside from some anecdotal observations of living conditions, and more importantly, how these modern mechanized vehicles worked (or not) in the muddy conditions of East Africa, there is little more to glean from his service in East Africa. After a somewhat brief tour in East Africa, Thomas transferred to Egypt, where he received a commission in the Royal Flying Corps, and ultimately became an instructor pilot at Heliopolis on a variety of types of aircraft.
After his tour at Heliopolis, Thomas was assigned to No. 72 Squadron, then en route to Mesopotamia. Thomas arrived in Mesopotamia well after the fall and subsequent recapture of Kut. Having arrived before No. 72 Sq arrived, he was temporarily detailed to No. 63 Sq at Samara, where he served on 1 Apr 1918, the official formation date of the Royal Air Force. Thomas describes the typical activities associated with the squadrons at the time: scout detail for two-seat bombers, and his attempts (mostly unsuccessful) of trying to get the enemy to engage, as well as reconnaissance duty. Ultimately, Thomas was detailed as the personal pilot to Colonel (later Sir) A. T. Wilson, the Political Officer of Mesopotamia under Sir Percy Cox. Later he was detailed to support Dunsterforce. Before his departure after the conclusion of the armistice, Thomas was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Altogether a very anecdotal accounting, but some interesting details not found elsewhere

What I am reading

Well just finished Aubrey Herbert's book, and now am looking at Sir Miles Thomas' Out on a Wing.  I probably will not read the entire book, since only a couple of chapters deal with his WWI experience, the remainder covering his time in business. However, it should be interesting. He first served with a transportation unit (motorcycles, Rolls Royce armored vehicles) in East Africa, and at some point transitioned to the Royal Flying Corps, winding up in Mesopotamia. Will provide more details as I get to them.