Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Under Furred Hats (6th A.L.H. Regt) by Geo. L. Berrie (Lieut.).

Under Furred Hats (6th A.L.H. Regt) by Geo. L. Berrie (Lieut.). Hardcover book (no dust jacket) published by W.C. Penfold & Co. 1919, 179 pages with some black and white photographs.


“In this book the author has briefly described during its term of service abroad, the career of the 6th Light Horse Regiment, from December, 1914, to August, 1919.”

One hundred years ago there was a war. It was a big one. Lots of Australians fought in that war and some of them died. Later, this particular War, and our soldiers, became the stuff of legends. The 6th Light Horse Regiment was part of that legend having fought at Gallipoli and elsewhere in the Middle East during this time.

In 1919 there must have been a massive demand for a book such as this. People wanted to know what had happened and where and who. Geo. L. Berrie (Lieut.) had the right idea, write a book quick while the book buying public are still interested. It's a bit like numerous contemporary publications that are obviously written and published on a wave of interest (eg: Tsunami books) and then no interest... Except Geo.s book was not something that people forgot about or lost interest in and it is still in print today*. This copy is an original first edition and is very worn and used, a bit like all those soldiers returning from Gallipoli. It looks like it has seen the trenches which I think adds to the overall appeal of a vintage book about a war that was a hundred years ago. You can't get more real than this.

*Print on demand

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