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SILENT LANDSCAPE AT GALLIPOLI
The Battlefields of the Dardanelles, One Hundred Years On
written by Simon Doughty and photography by James Kerr
(Helion Books)
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 As the centenary of the end of the First World War comes into sight, the editor of this magazine has brought out his third book on the conflict, following on from his excellent The Guards Came Through and Silent Landscape, the Battlefields of the Western Front. As with the first Silent Landscape, this latest book is again in partnership with the former Coldstreamer, James Kerr, whose superb photography captures the beautiful landscape and the relics of the Gallipoli campaign in sharp focus.
Together they have managed to bring to life that complex tragedy with a clarity that will appeal both to the serious historian and to those who simply wish to visualise just how ordinary men coped with such extraordinary circumstances. There may not have been many Guardsmen at Gallipoli, but several of those who were there, including two Micks, Aubrey Herbert MP, who spoke Turkish, and Lieutenant General Sir Alexander Godley, commanding the New Zealanders, who played interesting roles as the ultimately unsuccessful intervention in the Dardanelles played out.
This is a handsome and well written addition to the countless books on Gallipoli and would make an excellent Christmas present for anyone with an interest in military history.
Peter Williams |
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