by RNS | Jan 18, 2022 | Beating Tsundoku
Julian Maxwell Heath, Before the Pharaohs (Pen & Sword, 2021)
We all know the Ancient Egyptians, or at least we think we do. The pyramids, sphynx, and the trail of fabulous temples along the Nile are well-known, but we seldom, if ever, look past the ‘golden age’ of Ancient Egypt to examine what came before. Julian Maxwell Heath has done that for us by looking at stone age Egypt. It is a surprising journey in many way, but one that is also strangely familiar.
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Heath divides the Stone Age into its archaeological constituent parts, working his way down from the Lower Palaeolithic from c300,000 BCE to the Predynastic Period that ended in 3000 BCE. He then begins his survey of the peoples that populated the land we call Egypt and their tools and artefacts. He covers all the main regions of Egypt, though perhaps obviously, much of the time we are in Egypt’s barren deserts. Along the way, Heath digs into the various mysteries and enigmas that archaeology has uncovered but not yet solved. Among these is the artwork left behind on rocks and walls, and many in fascinating caves with emotive names, for example, the cave of the beasts and the cave of the swimmers. The meaning of this art still eludes us, though Heath presents some interesting theories – for the uninitiated, Heath supplies some useful line drawings to help us.
And so it goes; we learn how these early Egyptians lived and died and Heath speculates on what that meant to them. They left enough to show that their lives weren’t too much different from other stone age groups, including leaving megaliths and stone circles behind to suggest a curiosity about their universe. The early Egyptians also indulged in warfare, while in times of peace, farming became a mainstay. As the book draws to a close, Heath sees more connections between the Naqada culture and the Egyptian culture with which we are more familiar. We can see this in some of the artefacts and their decorative elements that are recognisably Egyptian, of which mace heads are striking examples. And that is where Heath leaves us, on the brink of Ancient Egypt.
Before the Pharaohs is a well-written and informative study of the Egyptian stone age. It is not too loaded with archaeological jargon and data, though an archaeology student would still be happy to read it, and you get the feeling reading this of being in the company of a knowledgeable and amiable tour guide. If there is a downside to Heath’s survey it is the lack of finds that would obviously excite the informed public reader who is presumably the target audience; there is a certain similarity runs through the various periods, though Heath does provide a sense of development as the clock runs down to what we know as Ancient Egypt. Nevertheless, Heath’s openness in laying out many of the questions we have about the period, and his willingness to acknowledge how much we do not know, keeps his book ticking along quite enjoyably.
by RNS | Jan 15, 2022 | Beating Tsundoku
William Shepherd, The Persian War (Osprey Publishing, 2019)
(Reviewed by Dom Sore)
In The Persian War, William Shepherd sets out to cover that conflict through the liberal use of Herodotus’ work interspersed with other historic sources. That results in a book some 511 pages long consisting of twelve chapters, bibliography, and index. There are also two sections of photographs, archaeological artifacts, terrain, and modern takes on ancient technology, and a section of maps. Of those, the two maps in the initial section are basic but include a very handy index of places to help you visualise where the forthcoming action takes place. The main text is nicely laid out in chronological order, making it much easier to follow what is happening. After the Introduction, the next two chapters deal well with the rise of the Persian Empire and Athens respectively. Further maps are interspersed amongst the text where necessary, mainly to aid battle descriptions, and provide useful visuals. William Shepherd does a good job of fleshing out Herodotus with the other sources available to generate a more coherent narrative that more matches the reality as we know it.
The use of large sections of Herodotus is laudable; however, it does somewhat interrupt the flow of the narrative as a whole. The principal method of the book is to use those parts, though cutting them down a little would have helped the reader appreciate them more. This is especially notable when compared to the author’s own writing, which has a great flow to it. This is a book more useful for reference than an enjoyable read. It is also neither an examination of Herodotus nor a straight history of the Persian War. What is does is provide you with the information you need to start examining parts of the war in greater detail, points you to the other sources you may wish to reference, and if all you need is an overview, gives you enough knowledge to understand what happened. It is therefore a welcome, if somewhat frustrating, addition to my library.
by RNS | Jan 6, 2022 | Beating Tsundoku
Bryn Evans, Airmen’s Incredible Escapes (Pen & Sword, 2020)
The chances of surviving a raid over enemy territory for Allied airmen during World War II were never great to begin with and diminished the more operations they flew. Allied planes came down at a stunning rate, consigning thousands of their crew members to death, but even in the direst circumstances, in the incident or its aftermath, men made it through to tell their stories of survival. Bryn Evans has collected thirty-seven of them in this fascinating and sometimes eye-popping book.
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Evans’ book is arranged chronologically, and each story is accompanied by a photograph of the airman involved, a brief biography, and the context for his remarkable escape. The incidents include surviving friendly fire, low and high bale outs, getting lost in Africa, anti-aircraft fire, enemy fighters, accidental collision, ditching at sea at night, escaping enemy custody, and navigating dense jungles. These took place in all the theatres of war where flight operations took place, including France, Holland, Italy, North Africa, Burma, New Guinea, and the North Sea. The aircraft they flew in were also varied; from Hurricane, Spitfire, and P39 fighters to the Halifax, Lancaster, B17, Stirling, and Wellington bombers, and Catalinas and Dakotas.
What these men had in common were resilience, courage, spirit, and quite a bit of luck. Their stories, while differing in detail, are all remarkable, and to his credit, Evans’ selection and organisation keeps them from melding into one less-focused narrative. He also acknowledges the roles of those who helped these airmen often at the risk of their own lives. That these were ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances is reinforced by Evans tracing their post-war normality, though we are reminded of their psychological and physical sufferings that stayed with them the rest of their lives. Readers of World War II air combat will certainly gain insight into the dangerous world of these brave men, and indeed those who never came back.
by RNS | Jan 1, 2022 | Beating Tsundoku
John R McKay, Surviving the Arctic Convoys (Pen & Sword, 2021)
Berwick lad Charlie Erswell served in the Royal Navy during World War II. It was an ambition he had always wanted to fulfil; war and his 18th birthday gave him the opportunity. Surviving the Arctic Convoys is his autobiography as told to John McKay.
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Too young to join up on the outbreak of war, Erswell worked as a telegram boy during the London blitz, but he signed up for the Royal Navy as a gunner in December 1941. He describes the perils of the Arctic convoys that would challenge him and his shipmates when he joined the destroyer HMS Milne. Erswell’s first Arctic convoy was PQ18, the one that followed the disastrous PQ17, so there was some apprehension on board HMS Milne. Submarines and enemy aircraft presented the biggest threats to the convoys, and Erswell narrates the action as they were encountered by his ship and others. He also relates the horrors of ships being sunk around HMS Milne, and the Milne’s rescue efforts to save sailors from the freezing seas. Despite incessant attacks, convoy PQ18 survived relatively intact and Erswell emphasizes the roles of training and efficiency in ensuring that success.
Routine maintenance and fighting the bitterly cold conditions occupied the sailors’ time in between German attacks. When they arrived off the Soviet Union, the destroyer escort turned round to take another convoy home with the fear of submarine attack ever present. On completion, HMS Milne sailed south to take part in Operation Torch via a boozy night in Gibraltar. On the way home, the ship was diverted into the Atlantic for more convoy duties and more U-boats. Some leave followed HMS Milne’s return to Scotland, then it was back to Arctic convoy work for Erswell in February 1943. A change of ship, to the HMS Savage, came next, in early 1944, and another Kola Run as the Arctic convoys were called. Despite the loss of an accompanying destroyer, it was clear to Erswell that the tide of war had turned against the German U-boats. Erswell next saw active service at the D-Day landings, defending against possible E-Boat attack. Then it was back to the frozen north but facing considerably less opposition. His last convoy escort took place in March 1945. Discharged in June 1946, Erswell joined the Merchant Navy. He bounced around the Mediterranean before leaving that service in 1949.
On first reading, Charlie Erswell’s autobiography has a ‘so what’ feel to it. While he certainly took part in some hair-raising combat in extreme conditions, Erswell himself did little of note other than his duty, which he freely acknowledges. Much of the rest of the book contains stories that many ex-sailors can relate to. But it is the very ordinariness of Erswell’s war that is the most profound aspect of this book. War has its heroes, but it is the extraordinary circumstances of war that ordinary men find themselves in that are the pulse of socio-military history; that in itself makes Erswell’s autobiography valuable. He isn’t helped by his editor, John McKay who takes too much for granted from his readers, leaving Erswell’s story under-contextualized when greater background detail could have added so much more to the story and the veracity of the memories on display. Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable read and an eye-opener for readers who have not realised the importance of the Arctic convoys and the men who fought to keep them afloat.
