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Page last updated: 16 July 2021.
The 24th Regiment
Isandlwana and
Rorke's Drift
Ian R Gumm
"There have been a number of battlefield guides produced over the last decade along with
countless volumes describing the actions on that fateful day in January 1879. However, there
have been a distinct lack of publications that combine both in a short, but comprehensive
and succinct manner. Ian has done just that with this guide. It is very readable and has
taken note of all of the latest publications. I would highly recommend this guide to anyone
contemplating visiting the battlefields."
Bill Cainan, former Curator, The Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh, Brecon
This book is the story of the Battle of Isandlwana and the defence of Rorke's Drift, both of
which took place on 22nd January 1879. The British force at Isandlwana was virtually wiped out
by Cetshwayo's Zulus, whilst a small part of that British force would fight for survival
against overwhelming odds at Rorke's Drift. It is more than just the story, however, as
contained within the book is a self-guided tour of the Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift
battlefields. There are geo-coordinates to help you navigate around the suggested stands and a
narrative to be read at each stand to bring the battlefield to life.
The King's Men
Fallen in the Great War
The King's School, Gloucester
Bob Brunsdon
Published in the centenary year of the outbreak of the Great War, this book tells the stories
of 'The King's Men', the thirty-five Old Boys of the Gloucester King's
School who fell in the service of their country between 1914 and 1918. It also covers life
at the school at the turn of the century and its use as a wartime hospital.
The King's Men fought in theatres of war across the globe and served in all three of the
Armed Services. They include Captain Eric Harvey MC and Bar, brother of the celebrated poet
Will Harvey and friend of composer Ivor Gurney, Captain Basil Bruton who was killed during
the Gloucesters' valiant stand in Italy in 1917 and Cyril Searancke, a Royal Naval
Lieutenant whose ship was sunk by a mine in the Mediterranean in 1915. Also included are
Gloucester rugby players Guardsman Peter Roach, killed by a sniper on Christmas Day 1914,
and fledgling RAF pilot Douglas Henderson, victim of a flying accident just after the
war's end.
The book also includes detailed maps and geo-coordinates enabling visitors to the
battlefields to see the places The King's Men fought and to pay their respects at the
relevant cemeteries and memorials.
The author, a former pupil at the King's School and retired Gloucestershire police
officer, now works as a military historian and battlefield guide. Following in the footsteps
of heroes, he takes groups and individuals to the battlefields, including those of the Great
War, to gain a true perspective of the conflicts that have shaped the world in which we live
today.
The Great Promise
Frederick L Coxen
On a spring day in 2009 Frederick L Coxen sat at his kitchen table going through the effects
of his deceased paternal grandparents. Rummaging through the tattered box of relics he came
across a small brown ledger; printed on the front cover of which was "Army Book 152
Correspondence Book (Field Service)". He had stumbled upon the First World War journal
of Captain Frederick G Coxen, his late grandfather.
If that was not enough, tucked deeper in the box was a more recent letter written in 1945.
The letter was addressed to no one in particular and was headed with the title "I Had A
Dream The Other Night". The letter told of a pact made in the summer of 1914 between
four young men to notify one another's family in the event that they became a fatality
in the war — an un-kept promise that had haunted his grandfather, also named Frederick, to
his dying day.
The Great Promise is thus the transition of a previously un-published primary source, the
journal of Captain Frederick G Coxen, into a fascinating historical account of the first
year of the First World War. It is also describes the personal quest of his grandson to
fulfil his un-kept promise.
Captain Frederick G Coxen answered the called to the colours in August 1914 and serve in the
Royal Field Artillery. He was among the first British soldiers to land in France at the
beginning of the First World War and fought in every major engagement until being gassed in
May 1915. His journal covers his first year at the front almost day by day; detailing his
reports, observations, emotional asides, musings, and even occasional jokes. It makes a
fascinating read, one that I recommend all those interested in the First World War.
Always a Soldier But Never G.I.
A World War II Soldier's Personal Journey
Emmett T. Lang
The year was 1942 and the country was united in the fight against Germany and Japan. On the
home front, all industry was mobilized for war, and the draft boards were collecting young
men to join the armed forces. Emmett Lang, a naive 20-year-old, wanted to be a soldier. But
even after scoring a nearly perfect score in the Army General Classification Test, he was
sent to infantry basic training. Despite this inauspicious beginning, Lang decided he would
do his duty and take every opportunity to make his service career as rewarding and enjoyable
as possible.
This is the story of Lang's Army career, an honest account that includes letters home,
divisional and regimental histories, and after-action reports - with a generous dose of
humorous anecdotes. Always a Soldier But Never G.I. contains stories of the action on the
front lines in Europe and Battle of the Bulge, and gives an insider's personal view of
the life of a World War II soldier-the hardships, adventures, and sometimes the horrors -
yet Lang's story is told with wit, humor, and a love of life that cannot be
suppressed.
It is a firsthand account of the action during World War II; one that I thoroughly recommend
to all those interested in this conflict.