Content provided in partnership with
Massacre of the Innocents: The Crofton Diaries, Ypres 1914-1915
Contemporary Review, May, 2005
Massacre of the Innocents: The Crofton Diaries, Ypres 1914-1915. Gavin Roynon, editor. Sutton Publishing. [pounds sterling]19.99. xxv + 286 pages. ISBN 0-7509-3739-4. Several studies have appeared in recent years of the role of the 'old army' in 1914-1915. This diary, kept by Sir Morgan Crofton, Bart., an officer in the 2nd Life Guards and a man who had fought in the Boer War, was kept during that period, from October 1914 to June 1915.
- Most Popular Articles in News
- The Ten Best Laptop bags
- Tata plans cheapest-ever car for Indian market
- GLOBALIZATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT OF THE THIRD WORLD
- Corn is good for you; Corn is not only a tasty treat, but also a cereal that ...
- THE 50 BEST STYLISH HANDBAGS TO CARRY
- More »
The text is well edited and noted and the period photographs help to bring it to life. The diary gives us a unique insight into this period which included Neuve Chapelle and the first battle of Ypres. Sir Morgan was a careful and critical observer: his description of the German destruction of Ypres' historic Cloth Hall is very moving. He also had the gift of using telling phrases: he described one elderly landlady as looking 'exactly like a gargoyle.' He was frank and delightfully outspoken in his views of politicians and generals and cared deeply about his men: he was, in fact, an officer and a gentleman. Perhaps the diary's greatest value is in the recording of daily life between battles as well as during them and it makes a substantial and valuable addition to our understanding of this vital period in the war's history. (T.B.)
COPYRIGHT 2005 Contemporary Review Company Ltd.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
