At Kew yesterday I bought a copy of Irish Regiments in the Great War, Discipline and Morale, by Timothy Bowman, originally published by MUP in 2003, reprinted as a paperback in 2004, and this edition (digital, on-demand by Lightning Source) in 2007. It cost £12.99, and looked worth a punt.

Question now is this: having used the Forum Search facility with my usual lack of success - has this book been reviewed on the Forum? I see it referenced in a couple of threads, but I'd be interested to see if there is any opinion out there in Forum land.

The blurb on the back from the Irish Times is prettu effusive: "...it provides brilliantly fresh and indispensible insights into the problems of morale and discipline of Irish troops in the First World War".

Anyone have an opinion on this book, please?

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...=Timothy+Bowman

The thread above deals with some issues pertinent to Bowman.

And I stress that referencing this post is not an attempt tp re-open any perceived hostilities.

You got a bargain, it once retailed around £30 ...

I don't think it has ever been reviewed on forum per se

I think that "Irish Regiments in the Great War" is a serious study that reaches some balanced conclusions - the main point being that, compared to other nations, the British Army experienced no serious mutinies or discipline problems during the Great War. In my view it is worth reading.

Thanks, guys. I knew I'd sen the book referenced on the Forum. Looks like it was a bargain: can someone tell Mrs B for me, please?

And, on a serious note, I shall look forward to reading it.

You probably won't like this, but I just bought my copy for £7.50 as a "second" from MUP off AbeBooks.com (plus postage!). I think they just wanted rid of them as there was nothing to justify the heading "seconds" on my copy!

Anyway I digress. I am Irish, originally from Belfast, to own up to my vested interest. And my grandfather was in Royal Dublin Fusiliers during both the Easter Rising and the Ancre.

I found the book informative and balanced in his conclusions, and the book did contain a detailed examination of the discipline record of the Irish Battalions, both Catholic and Protestant. With some touching on the role of Carson and the influence of the recruitment of the Ulster battalions on the post war partition of Ireland

A balanced view will inevitable draw fire from either extreme, and if the author does draw fire, then it may well point to his impartiality.

I liked the book and found it well worth the small investment

Thanks for that: I'm not upset - I consider I got it at a good prce if it was originally £30; and it was an impulse buy. I almost certainly wouldn't have bought it online!