The Steel of the DLI (2nd Bn 1914/18)
John SheenFound in: World War I Books
Hardback 320 pages
ISBN: 9781848841437
Published: 15 October 2009
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The 2nd Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry was one of only two battalions of the regiment that did not have its history published in some form after the Great War, the other was the 1/7th (Territorial) Battalion. As the regular Home Service battalion of the regiment it was brought up to strength with Regular Reservists and men from the Special Reserve and went out to France in September 1914, where it fought at the Battle of the Aisne, before moving north to Flanders.
The battalion was in action immediately that war was declared on 4th August 1914, when a detachment based at South Shields boarded a German Steamer on the River Tyne and took the crew prisoner and marched them through the town to the Police Station. The book includes material from unpublished letters and diaries of both officers and men and has lots of photographs from the Regimental Archives, a number of which show named officers and men in the trenches around Armentierres in 1915.
Also included is a roll of all the officers that served with the battalion with date of joining and leaving the battalion. For the other ranks the original 1914 Star men are included in a roll that includes reinforcements that joined up to 1 November 1914. This roll has been crossed referenced against the South Africa Rolls to show those who had seen service in that campaign also. There is also a list of those that received gallantry awards.
This must be one of the first histories of a regular battalion that fought in France during the Great War, published since the 1920’s.
The battalion was in action immediately that war was declared on 4th August 1914, when a detachment based at South Shields boarded a German Steamer on the River Tyne and took the crew prisoner and marched them through the town to the Police Station. The book includes material from unpublished letters and diaries of both officers and men and has lots of photographs from the Regimental Archives, a number of which show named officers and men in the trenches around Armentierres in 1915.
Also included is a roll of all the officers that served with the battalion with date of joining and leaving the battalion. For the other ranks the original 1914 Star men are included in a roll that includes reinforcements that joined up to 1 November 1914. This roll has been crossed referenced against the South Africa Rolls to show those who had seen service in that campaign also. There is also a list of those that received gallantry awards.
This must be one of the first histories of a regular battalion that fought in France during the Great War, published since the 1920’s.
Product Reviews
'As battalion histories go this would be hard to better; the fact that it records the endeavors of an unglamorous and unsung yet vital component of the army makes it very special.'
1914-1918.net, November 2009
Not only has this fine history been well researched, but it boasts many images too, all of which make it a fine work to add to your Great War library. . . The book contains many extracts from previously unpublished letters and diaries of both officers and men. Both John Sheen and Pen & Sword are to be warmly applauded for producing the history of this fine battalion.
Great War Magazine
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