The Irish Guards in the Great War: The First Battalion Contributor(s): Kipling, Rudyard (Author), Webb, George (Foreword by) |
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ISBN: 1862274045 ISBN-13: 9781862274044 Publisher: Spellmount Publishers OUR PRICE: $31.46 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 2008 Annotation: Originally published in 1923, this is Rudyard Kiplings little-known masterpiece, an utterly individual contribution to the art of regimental history writing, and possibly the best ever written for its economy of style and empathy with the fighting man. In August 1914, Kiplings son, John, was killed at the battle of Loos whilst serving with the Irish Guards and he instantly took up the regiments request to write their history in the First World War. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | Military - World War I - History | Europe - Ireland |
Dewey: 940.4 |
LCCN: 2009293233 |
Physical Information: 0.8" H x 6.7" W x 9.6" (1.70 lbs) 320 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: A regimental history and official account of the Irish Guards in World War I, written by Rudyard Kipling in honor of his son, John, who served in the Irish Guards and was killed in his first action at the battle of Loos. This book also contains a listing of the battle rolls of honor and casualty lists of all officers and men who served with the First and Second Battalion. This is the forgotten masterpiece of Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling. It is the result of five and a half years' detailed research. It was out of print for many years. "This will be my great work . . . It is done with agony and bloody sweat." First published in 1923, Kipling's little-known masterpiece is an utterly individual contribution to the art of regimental history. In August 1914 Kipling's son John, not yet 17, volunteered for a commission in the army, but being under age and with poor sight, was initially refused. His father's friendship with Lord Roberts was used to gain him a commission in the Irish Guards. John Kipling's battalion, the 2nd, was at once deployed in the costly battle of Loos, where he was among the earliest casualties. Kipling was devastated, and set about writing a regimental history as a monument to his son's service. The result of five years of laborious research, it is both a military and a literary masterpiece. Kipling employed his exceptional descriptive powers, his empathy with fighting men, and his habitual passion for detail, to wonderful effect. Long out of print, the two volumes of "The Irish Guards in the Great War," of which this is volume two, are republished in lavish, illustrated editions complete with the original maps and appendices. |