When the guns fire

Discussion in 'Royal Artillery' started by Uncle Target, Jul 13, 2018.

  1. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    Please dont regard this as an ad but I intend to place on here excerpts from letters of an officer from 67th Field Regiment.
    They were written between 1940 and 1944.
    I am currently assessing advice from members as to placing it on line as a book.
    I inherited the letters amongst a collection of items now in Worcester Archives.
    My father in law intended to use them to write a book for the step mother of the officer but sadly they both died soon after receiving them.
    He passed them on to me hoping that I might do so when I retired.

    I have, I did and I hope that it is of interest.
    The IWM liked it due to its style of writing, social and political comment as well as his military activities
    It is of its time, not a memoire as his Jeep struck a nest of Teller mines in Florence in Sept 1944.

    It has been a labour of love in memory of the men of 67th Field Regt who like Lt Noel Beadle CPO 266 Bty did not come home to write their own stories.

    I am awaiting the return of my PC from repair upon which I will commence posting the excerpts.
     
  2. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    I am also carrying out deep studies of the 67th having access to records that they could not get at the time.
    Maybe it might make a publishable book in a few years when photos can be used at a reasonable cost by people on state pensions. Or when the centenaries come along in the 2040's. I dont expect to be here then.

    That is really all that prevents me from completing and publishing A Certain Taste for Glory.
    All the titles come from phrases in Noels letters.

    Occupying a farm near Florence:

    It makes a terrific noise (around the farm buildings) when the guns fire

    liberating Italian towns:

    Like Napoleon we have acquired a certain taste for glory, depraved no doubt but quite unmistakeable.

    Question to admin can I post the CWGC casualty list for 67 FR as an attachment on this site.
     
  3. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    Admin: ref above

    The casualty list would be a printed copy just showing
    1. Cemetery 2.Name 3. number with rank
    In three columns reduced to fit an A4 sheet.
    Approx 64 entries to be used in context at a later date.

    Presume it best to acknowledge CWGC if used.
     
  4. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Yes you can indeed add the casualty list. It'd take awhile but maybe type in names & numbers so they can be found by search engines.
     
  5. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    Waiting for my Computer to be repaired/replaced or whatever after it died last week at 13 months old.
    Its under a two year warranty from John Lewis.
    They say it will take 7-10 working days so yesterday on day 7 I dropped in to see them but no news yet.
    At least they know I haven't forgotten it and want it back pronto.

    I will be more effective then, once I have reloaded all my pics and related files.

    Lots of things to see and do thinking, waiting, hoping too.
     
  6. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Uncle Target

    You say "The IWM liked it due to its style of writing, social and political comment as well as his military activities"

    Have you actually lodged it with the IWM. ?

    I ask merely because I did this with my own personal account of life in WW2 and have yet to regret doing so.

    Best regards

    Ron
     
  7. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    I sent a copy of the book by pdf because it is merely a transcription of the letters in chronological order with an index for ease of reading.
    I was seeking to place the original letters with them. They were receptive to this but wanted to see them to assess their archival quality and condition.
    I could not afford the cost of getting there and the distance to cover by foot was of concern.

    I went to Worcester to see what they had having emailed them ref 67 FR and was quite literally stunned with their new modern facility and the documents they had on 67th FR. One of their staff was very knowledgeable having met the men who deposited them over the years.
    I returned with the entire collection of scrap book photo album of the German Holiday and 94 letters and the book of transcribed letters.
    They were happy to accept them for Archiving and once catalogued (still waiting) they will appear in National Archives lists.

    I informed IWM of my decision and received a very polite reply saying that at least they had been deposited in a safe Archive accessible to future researchers.
    I presume they still have the pdf file as the conservator was impressed with the content although they may have deleted it not having the collection.

    I do not so much consider myself to be the author but the compiler of letters written at the time although I was advised that the indexed transcriptions are recognised as my work and copyrighted to me as a book in its own right.

    This is why I do not intend to market the book for profit but in memory of the author who did not survive to write his memoires like some of his colleagues. Doing so is proving somewhat elusive due to my personal lack of funds.
     
  8. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    A bit long winded but no they were not signed over to IWM and I was informed by Worcester that I was free to publish a book if I wished. Their interest lies in the original letters.
    They do not have the facilities to take the digital copies offered to them but noted that they were available if they want them.

    From your brief message it seems that I did the right thing ?
     
  9. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Uncle Target

    In my own case, the main interest of the IMW was in my Army Album, full of memorabilia and many photos and yes, I think that your decision was indeed the right one.

    If you click on my Blog profile link below and then, when it opens, select the "Actual Army Album" you will see what I mean.

    Best of luck with your endeavors

    Ron
     
    Uncle Target likes this.
  10. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    A number of close friends served with QOH as regulars in the 70's. Including Aden where they covered the withdrawal.
    They took over sponsoring Army Cadets in Worcestershire after the local 267 Field Regt RA (TA) were disbanded.
     
  11. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Uncle Target

    Please pas on my best regards.to your friends

    "Once a Hussar, always a Hussar" !

    Ron
     

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