Pompey Elliott at war : in his own words / Ross McMullin
- Bib ID:
- 8039455
- Format:
- Book
- Author:
- McMullin, Ross, 1952-, author
- Online Access:
- Related Online Resources:
- Thumbnail
- Access Conditions:
- National edeposit: Available onsite at national, state and territory libraries
- Description:
-
- Scribe Publications, 2017
- Brunswick, Vic. : Scribe Publications, 2017
- 1 online resource.
- ISBN:
-
- 1925548619
- 9781925548617
- Summary:
-
Hundreds of Australian first-person narratives of World War I have been published, but none more riveting than this one. The wartime letters and diaries of Pompey Elliott, Australia's most famous fighting general, are exceptionally forthright. They are also remarkably illuminating about his volatile emotions. Pompey not only wrote frankly about what happened to him and the men he was commanding; he was also frank about what he felt about both. Having arranged a no-secrets pact with his wife for their correspondence before he left Australia in 1914, he adhered to that agreement throughout the conflict. Moreover, Pompey expressed himself with vivid candour in his diaries and other correspondence. He wrote rapidly and fluently, with fertile imagery, a flair for simile, and an engaging turn of phrase. His extraordinary letters to his young children turned even the Western Front into a bedtime story. Pompey was prominent in iconic battles and numerous controversies. He was wounded at the Gallipoli landing, and four of his men were awarded the Victoria Cross for conspicuous bravery at Lone Pine. No one was more instrumental than Pompey in turning looming defeat into stunning victory at both Polygon Wood and Villers-Bretonneux. No Australian general was more revered by those he led or more famous outside his own command. Ross McMullin, the author of the award-winning and best-selling biography Pompey Elliott, has collected Pompey's words from a variety of sources and shaped them into a compelling narrative. This book will transform our awareness of Pompey's importance in the dramatic final year of World War I. Produced as a handsome hardback, and meticulously researched, this will appeal to many military-history fans as a successor volume to Pompey Elliott, the author's 2008 biography This is an outstanding, moving, and comprehensive contribution to our understanding of the experience of military leadership from Australia's great fighting general of WWI This is destined to be treasured as one of the great personal accounts of Australians at war.
- Full contents:
-
- Machine generated contents note 1. Preparing the Battalion ̀Finest lot of fellows you could raise anywhere' August 1914
- March 1915
- 2. Ashore at Gallipoli Ẁon't be many of the poor old Seventh left' April
- May 1915
- 3. Torment at Steele's Post ̀May I never see another war' June
- July 1915
- 4. Carnage at Lone Pine Ìt was all like a horrible nightmare' August 1915
- 5. Delayed Recuperation Ì love you dearest Katie, my own wee angel wife' September
- December 1915
- 6. Promotion and Controversy ̀Do you desire an efficient brigade or will any old thing do?' January
- March 1916
- 7. Notorious Desert March Òn the verge of a serious mutiny' March
- June 1916
- 8. Disaster at Fromelles ̀Hopelessly and helplessly massacred' June
- July 1916
- 9. Haunted by Losses ̀The good ones go one after another' August
- October 1916
- 10. Winter at the Somme ̀My poor boys had a terrible time' October
- December 1916
- 11. Frost, Snow, and Ice ̀The whole world is a wedding cake today' January
- March 1917
- 12. Pursuit From Bapaume ̀My boys have been making a name for themselves' March
- April 1917
- 13. Bombardments at Bullecourt ̀The worst I've ever been under' May
- July 1917
- 14. To the Ypres Offensive ̀Bloodstained fingers beckoning us once again to the slaughter' August
- September 1917
- 15. Polygon Wood ̀My boys saved the whole British army' September 1917
- 16. Flagrant Suppression Ìt does not pay to tell the truth, as I know to my cost' October
- November 1917
- 17. Dreading the Looming Assault ̀Terribly depressed and pessimistic' December 1917
- February 1918
- 18. Resisting the Onslaught Ìt is glorious indeed to be with them' March
- April 1918
- 19. Villers-Bretonneux ̀The absolute best thing done yet in the war' April 1918
- 20. Rejected and Aggrieved ̀Take lessons in deportment, learn to bow and scrape!' May 1918
- 21. Diversion Near Hamel Ì love even the worst of them' June
- July 1918
- 22. Momentous Advance Ì never saw the war look so promising' August 1918
- 23. Peronne Ǹo better general' August
- September 1918
- 24. Hindenburg Line ̀How splendidly the boys did, but the poor old brigade is cut to pieces' September
- November 1918
- 25. After the Armistice ̀Very homesick and miserable and depressed' November 1918
- March 1919.
- Notes:
-
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Print version record
- Subject:
-
- Elliott, Pompey, 1878-1931
- Australia. Army -- Officers -- Biography
- Australia. Australian Army -- Officers -- Biography
- Australia. Army
- Australia. Australian Army
- World War (1914-1918)
- Generals -- Australia -- Biography
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Participation, Australian
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, Australian
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Australia -- Biography
- Armed Forces -- Officers
- Biography & Autobiography - Military
- Biography: historical, political & military
- Diaries, letters & journals
- First World War
- General & world history
- Generals
- History - Australia & Oceania
- History - General
- History - Military - World War I
- HISTORY -- Military -- Other
- Literary Collections / Diaries & Journals
- TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING -- Military Science
- Australia
- Australian
- Other authors/contributors:
- Scribe
- Available From:
- Scribe Publications Pty Ltd
- Copyright:
-
In Copyright
You may copy under some circumstances, for example you may copy a portion for research or study. Order a copy through Copies Direct to the extent allowed under fair dealing. Contact us for further information about copying.
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Literary Dramatic Musical
- Published status:
- Published
- Publication date:
- 2017
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