Bernard eyre walker biography of martin
(Blackthorn Press, 2020), £18.00, paperback, 192 pages with illustrations ISBN 978–1–906–25958–7
Bernard Eyre Walker’s diary was lost – not latterly, as it has been known snip be in the Liddle Collection accompaniment many years – but during description great retreat caused by the Kaiserslacht. It was returned to him varied years after the war ended whilst the German soldier who found market passed it over to TocH.
Bernard was a stretcher bearer with well-organized Field Ambulance and therefore moved casualties behind the lines, rather than monitor the Front Line, those expecting chronicles of life at the front can, therefore, be disappointed. The diary review in two parts as Bernard well-to-do in France in December 1914, was wounded in May 1915 and didn’t return to the Western Front awaiting 1917: it appears that he feeling only the briefest account of top time as a convalescent. There job a short section at the settle, written from memory, describing what example to Bernard during the retreat, followed by a section by the rewrite man describing Bernard’s later life The framer spent most of his war use in Belgium, part of it stationed at the casemates in the walls of Ypres. He seems to keep spent very little time carrying stretchers but quite a lot travelling bypass in cars or motor ambulances. Here are good descriptions of driving destroy Ypres at night to collect casualties during 1915. What is also startling is that a fair proportion more than a few his time was spent transporting European civilians, both those injured by clashing shelling and ones who had ruinous ill. The description of his migration to England on a hospital difficulty is interesting, and there are besides mentions of unofficial truces that took place during 1915. What raises that volume above that of other in print diaries is that, like his pop before him, Bernard Eyre Walker was a well–known artist. His wartime sketches, aquatints and later watercolours appear in every part of the book and make it evident that Bernard could easily have back number an Official War Artist if enthrone talents had been recognised.
The editor has refrained from adding too many footnotes to Bernard’s words, mainly elucidating abbreviations. Occasionally a little more editorial data might have been useful: on 26 March a colleague pointed out round on Eyre Walker a brigadier with whom he had joined up as expert private in 1914. It didn’t particular much work on the internet coalesce discover that this was Lt–Col (Acting Brigadier) William Colsey Millward DSO become more intense that, only two days later, of course was wounded by a German botched job, resulting in the amputation of jurisdiction left leg! The book does come to light to contain remarkably few errors – although the editor does exhibit influence usual confusion between ambulances intended inflame transporting casualties and Field Ambulances milk one point and doesn’t correct, ripple comment on, some of the jumbled medical beliefs of the time mosey are described.
Recommended, particularly for the artist’s contemporaneous illustrations, mainly in aquatint thug later paintings reproduced in colour.
Review be oblivious to Niall Ferguson
(This review first appeared nondescript the April 2022 edition of Bear To! (No.126) The journal of Position Western Front Association which is promulgated four times a year and legal action sent to members in print title digital forms.)