Before Gallipoli, by Chris Holland

Before Gallipoli, by Chris Holland

Subtitled 'The 29th Division Warwickshire and North Oxfordshire December 1914 to March 1915'.

Book published by Warwickshire Great War Publications, 144 pages. Paperback (N5336).

From the rear side cover: The monument to the 29th Division stands near the village of Stretton on Dunsmore, in Warwickshire, on the spot where King George V took the salute of the Division on 12th March, 1915. It commemorates the Division's "incomparable services" during the First World War, in which its soldiers won 27 Victoria Crosses and the Division suffered some 94,000 casualties. More simply, the monument also records the fact that the Division had stayed in the Warwickshire area during its formation in late 1914 and early 1915 and before its departure for Gallipoli.

This book traces an unexpected, distinctive and often moving story of the time when the 29th Division was billeted in Warwickshire and north Oxfordshire. It tells of the warmth and hospitality that local people showed to men who had no previous association with the area and of the soldiers' involvement in the lives of the local communities. Just a few weeks later, those soldiers landed on the Gallipoli peninsula. This was the start of a costly campaign for the 29th Division, whose losses caused genuine sorrow in the billeting area. Chapters include:

  • The Inspection: 12th March, 1915

  • The 29th Division and the 'Heart of England'

  • 'Tommy Atkins'

  • Billeting

  • The Arrival of the Troops

  • Settling in

  • Building a Division

  • The Soldiers and Local Communities

  • The Soldiers and Local Girls

  • Problems

  • The Final Two Weeks

  • To Gallipoli

  • News of the Fighting

  • "The Incomparable 29th"

  • After Gallipoli

  • The Memorials

Condition of the book is generally excellent. The covers are clean and bright, the spine is intact and all pages are clean, intact, unblemished and tightly bound. There is a small price sticker on the rear side cover.

Condition New