WAR BOOK CLUB MINUTES: September 4th, 2018:

TITLES DISCUSSED:

Beyond the Band of Brothers: (the war time memoirs of Major Dick Winters)/Richard D. Winters:

https://www.reginalibrary.ca/search/1146064

Chickenshit Club/Jesse Eisigner:

https://www.reginalibrary.ca/search/2108463

Dam Busters: Canadian Airmen in the secret raid against Nazi Germany/Theodore Barris:

https://www.reginalibrary.ca/search/2528063

The Embattled General: Sir Richard Turner and the First World War/William F. Steward (eBook only):

https://www.reginalibrary.ca/search?terms=the+embattled+general

His Share of Glory: the complete short science fiction of C.M. Kornbluth:

https://www.reginalibrary.ca/search/375905

Kornbluth story discussed: “Two Dooms”:

http://goodshortfictiontoread.blogspot.com/2010/03/review-two-dooms-by-c-m-kornbluth.html

The Kamikaze Hunters: fighting for the Pacific, 1945/Will Iredale:

https://www.reginalibrary.ca/search/1659244

The Man in the High Castle/Philip K. Dick:

https://www.reginalibrary.ca/search/2250707

The Nazi Titanic: the incredible untold story of a doomed ship in World War II/Robert P. Watson:

https://www.reginalibrary.ca/search/1688867

No-Badge Killick/Gord Hunter:

https://www.reginalibrary.ca/search/2526276

Operation Sea Lion: the failed Nazi invasion that turned the tide of war/Leo McKinstry:

https://www.reginalibrary.ca/search/1008102

The Regiment/Farley Mowat:

https://www.reginalibrary.ca/search/1660531

Starship Troopers/Robert A. Heinlein:

https://www.reginalibrary.ca/search/137411

Bonus:

Nazi Titanic movie from 1943 with English Subs – unfortunately, the English Subs appear to be hidden under the iceberg (Deutsch only):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RadNyjDLtA8

Next meeting: Tuesday, October 2^nd at 7:00 pm.. Public Meeting Room#1, Central Library, Regina Public Library.

Commissionaires Armistice Century Ball, November 9th

Source: Wikipedia

Marking the 100th Anniversary  of the end of the First World War The Royal United Services Institute and  the Province of Saskatchewan cordially invite you to join us for the Commissionaires  Armistice Century Ball

Friday, November 9th, 2018
The Queensbury Convention Centre Ballroom Regina, Saskatchewan

Reception: 6:00 p.m. – Banner Hall Dinner: 7:00 p.m.

$75 individual ticket https://rusiregina.ca/armisticeball/tickets.php

Dress: Men: Black Tie/Suit

Ladies: Long Gown/Cocktail Dress Military/Police: Mess Kit Decorations
 
To purchase tickets: www.rusiregina.ca
For further information: (306) 757-8405 or rusiregina@myaccess.ca

The Embattled General: Sir Richard Turner and the First World War by William F. Stewart (reviewed by Dwight Mercer).

The Embattled General: Sir Richard Turner and the First World War

William F. Stewart (October 2015)   McGill-Queen’s University Press    ISBN 10: 0773546251 / ISBN 13: 9780773546257

While not as packed with information as the Bill Steward’s excellent Somme book ⁽¹⁾ I found his first book on Sir Richard Turner VC was a more enjoyable read; especially the last one-third – perhaps it was the consolidation of all the presented research material and logical assumptions being woven from threads of thought into a discernable a logical and balanced conclusion.  An oft-forgotten Canadian-born Great War general with very few quality biographical works has finally received a quality re-examination.  An important fundamental book which bridges the gap between Sir Sam Hughes and the final quality fighting force the Canadian Expeditionary Force became during the second half of its existence on the Western Front.

The dissection and deduction of information coupled with logical inferences, the comparisons with and between Currie was delicate, measured, logical and convincing.  The chaos in recruiting and training under Sir Sam Hughes and his political cronies was quickly corrected by the military-experienced but business orientated General Turner.

One begins to perhaps understand the politics of power in the post-war period where the front-line generals were able to consolidate their place in history; whereas the necessary background administrative efforts were less glamourous and less inviting to documentation and publication.  The “point of the spear” requires a strong logistical and administrative base – something that Turner was able to expedite in short order.

In the publisher’s summary, this Bill Steward effort is “Based on exhaustive research from over 1,200 volumes of material, including many previously untouched sources, The Embattled General provides a balanced and just re-evaluation of Turner, identifying his merits as well as his flaws.”  Bill Stewart is skilled in the source material research and then in presenting the facts-based findings into a surgically detached and coherent document.

As a testament, I have the Stewart material on my bookshelf next to the Dr. Tim Cook material.  The quality of research and writing is on the same level.  Strongly recommended for a student of the Canadian Corps in the Great War.

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[1] Canadians at the Somme - The Neglected Campaign (2017)

eBook available thru Regina Public Library