Adrian Musgrave
|
Born in 1874, George Clarke Musgrave answered the Reaper's call in 1932 and now lies at rest with his parents at Swanage in the beautiful countryside of Dorset. I did not know him but, for more than a decade now, I have lived with him, walked with him and dreamed with him. The sad reality is that now he has gone, he can no longer recount his life and times to you in person and that task has slipped several branches down the family tree to me. It is with some trepidation, and a keen desire to keep true to his memory, that I have dedicated myself to channelling for you the stories of this fascinating, multi-faceted, complex character.
Following service in the British Army, brought to a premature end by injury and subsequent medical discharge, George Clarke became a war correspondent, journalist and author, seeing action with both British and American forces in a number of conflicts across the world. He also wrote a number of books but these are now out of print and genuine editions are rare and expensive. It is my firm belief, though, that his words should be read and, in seeking to bring his library back to life, my intent here is to present authentic adaptations of our author's works, written with a particular focus on preserving the action, the excitement, the drama and the emotion of his original narrative. So, come with us to the Ashanti territories; to Garcia's Santiago; to the lands of the Transvaal; the battlefields of France; the brutal hotbed of rebellion in China; and the glorious vastness of America. Share with us the raw brutality, the traumas and the evils of war tempered with an undying admiration for the men and women who have lived and loved, suffered and triumphed in its fighting. |
An Ashanti Uprising
|
Military History
An accurate account of Sir Francis Scott's Ashanti Expedition of 1895-96, vividly portraying the killing fields, the treachery and the debauchery that characterised this gold-rich outpost of the Empire, building to the final scenes when King Prempeh had to undergo the ultimate humiliation in the sight of his chiefs and subjects. Even after Kumassi had been occupied by the British troops, the Ashanti continued to proclaim the invincible greatness of their King. But there could be no more self-deception when the King and the Queen-mother had to kneel before the Governor and embrace his feet. The final denouement followed when Prempeh refused to pay the indemnity that had been owed for more than twenty years, at which point the Royal family was seized, deported to the Coast and exiled to the British colony of Sierra Leone. The lands of Ashanti had been a great barrier to the development of our African territories and the expedition had been a brilliant success in fully accomplishing its object. 
|
The Cuban Crisis
|
Military History
Following his recuperation from a chest wound received at the fall of Santiago, our author tells us about the patriotic struggles of the Cubans, and about the iniquities practised upon them by the impulsive Spanish occupation of Cuba. Sent with a dual commission from an English newspaper and an American journal, he landed in Cuba "a warm sympathiser with Spain." For two years, though, he lived and served with the revolutionaries, learned of their cause and experienced their suffering. Appointed as a Captain on General Garcia's staff, he repeatedly crossed the lines carrying despatches from the insurgent Cuban Government to the Americans. Danger and hardship became his companions and he was twice imprisoned, three times wounded, barely rescued from a spy's death and finally arrested and deported to Spain under threat of execution. He was later invited by General Shafter as one of only a handful of correspondents to witness the surrender of the Spanish forces. 
|
War With The Boer
|
Military History
In this hard-hitting chronological account of the second Boer war, the scene is set with the sending of the Boer ultimatum from President Kruger to England, followed by a general overview of the South African republics and the key factors which led to the war, building to the opening of hostilities at Kraaipan in October 1899, and the military operations that followed. In vivid and graphic detail, with special emphasis on the actions of the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Redvers Buller, George Clarke Musgrave's narrative can be commended for its clarity and comprehensiveness. The Boer sieges and the subsequent battles for the relief of Kimberley, Mafeking and Ladysmith are covered both in strategic terms and in the intimate detail that is the reality of individuals fighting, suffering and dying for their country. Our author also delivers a stinging but accurate rebuke against the treachery and back-stabbing of the self-serving cheats, liars and money-grabbers that inevitably rise from their slime in times of conflict. 
|
The Boxer Rebellion
|
Military History
Called back from his honeymoon by an urgent telegram from the New York Times, our author left for San Francisco on 9th July 1900, from where he sailed for China to join the eight-nation alliance mounting what was termed the China Relief Expedition. There is no written material relevant for this book. Instead, we have only a collection of notes, diary entries, photographs and despatches covering the four weeks spent in China. For such an experienced, committed and prolific writer, this is something of a surprise, but the clues lie in the tenor of the words that he uses to describe the horror, the brutality and the sheer trauma of his experiences; and here lies the reason why our author penned no words for publication. In a note describing his final hours in the city, together with a group of three fellow correspondents, he wrote; "not one of us had ever known such an assault on the senses; not one of us had ever been exposed to such obscene visions of reality." 
|
The World at War
|
Military History
A graphic, straightforward history of the war on the Western Front, written at the suggestion of an American officer who, on his arrival in France, found that he could not gain a meaningful perspective on the war raging across Europe. He had followed its phases in the newspapers but found that, by concentrating primarily on the great events, the overall canvas had become too large to comprehend. Based mainly on personal observation, however, this book has the advantage of being the work of a war correspondent of no ordinary ability; a man who saw himself as "a Briton by birth and an American by adoption," and is certainly not lacking in perspective. Through his vivid, accurate and illuminating narrative, our author draws his pictures with an eye to the diplomatic reasons behind the plans of war, the great sweep of armies as they manoeuvre for advantage, and the effect of the life and death decisions of Generals on the fighting man and on the civilian population. Diary Notes
Alongside the books for which he is now best-known, George Clarke Musgrave produced a wide-ranging portfolio of articles, reports, letters and essays on many subjects. He also kept diaries with records of his day-to-day experiences and used these as source material to provide the fine detail so easily missed when viewing the broader sweep of subject matter for his other works. Unfortunately many of his diaries have been lost, damaged or destroyed and there is no longer a complete collection available. From those that do remain, though, we are collating his notes into a collection of dated records. We are still working on a number of his diaries so this is a work in progress.
|
Cuba - Pearl of the Antilles
|
Military History
The war has taught the world more geography and history than a century of ordinary education would have imparted. It has destroyed many inherited prejudices and shattered the complacency which was shackling the imagination that built up the British Empire. As Peace introduces a new era of international comity which will test the bonds forged between the Allied countries, this seems an opportune time to present some simple facts regarding Cuba, a young member of the family of nations, that has stood solidly with the Allies from the outset, but of whom the British people know so little. Europe's commercial interests have suffered for many years because of our apathy, obsolete notions, and lack of information regarding Cuba but it is no exaggeration to speak of Cuba as the key to the Western Hemisphere. Her strategic position between North and South America, commanding the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, as well as her rare qualities as a country, entitles her to this definition. 
|
The Silent Trauma of War
|
Military History
No one who has seen the horrors of war can pen words to glorify it. Neither can they minimise its deeply embedded lies, truths, prejudices or values. And this is the dilemma faced by every correspondent, journalist and author: how to portray a true and accurate account of war in its intimate detail while remaining unaffected by the causal factors underlying the conflict. In writing of war, well-known episodes must take their place; so must the personal observations of those who were there in the field, the bivouacs, the hospitals and the trenches. The writer's eye must also be sharp enough to see through the fog that obscures every arena of conflict, grown thick from the ivory-tower diplomacy and chess-board planning of war by ignorant politicians; the life and death decisions of generals walking tall on their given pedestals; the incompetence of officials that is evident at every level, and the foul stain of corruption that sucks the very lifeblood from the fighting man. This is the silent trauma of war. 
|
Insights of a War Correspondent
|
Military History
In the twenty-five years of his career George Clarke Musgrave became a more frustrated, more discouraged and, ultimately, more troubled man. While he had no hesitation in identifying and exposing the failings of those in authority, he was never able to fully come to terms with the habitual inability of our politicians and our best generals to make clear, correct and courageous decisions; or with the ignorance and incompetence of officials at every level; or the foul stain of corruption that sucks the very lifeblood from the fighting man. And he lived with this through the five theatres of conflict in which he served. He suffered the brutality, the traumas and the evils of war tempered with an undying admiration for the men and women who lived and loved, suffered and triumphed in its fighting. He was a committed and prolific writer whose work chronicles the often untold stories of those left behind to suffer the iniquities and atrocities of wars that others fought; and it is in his writing that we discover the insights of our war correspondent. 
|
Wars and Words
|
Military History
Following service in the British Army, brought to a premature end by injury and subsequent medical discharge, George Clarke Musgrave became a war correspondent and journalist, seeing action with both British and American forces in a number of conflicts across the world. His articles from these conflicts were published in many national and international journals. He also wrote a number of books which were readily published and well received by audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. In his career of twenty-five years, he travelled across six continents and twenty-one countries, experiencing action in five separate theatres of war. So, come with us to the Ashanti territories; to Garcia's Santiago; to the lands of the Transvaal; the battlefields of France; the brutal hotbed of rebellion in China; and the glorious vastness of America. Share with us the raw brutality, the traumas and the evils of war and our undying admiration for the men and women who have lived and loved, suffered and triumphed in its fighting. Discover here a chronicle of the horrors, the joys, the tears, the pleasures, the pain and the blessings of a life that our author tried to live well. 
|
The Wars and Words Series
|
Military History
Born in 1874 George Clarke Musgrave answered the Reaper's call in 1932 and now lies at rest with his parents at Swanage in the beautiful countryside of Dorset. I did not know him but, for more than a decade now, I have lived with him, walked with him and dreamed with him. The sad reality is that now he has gone, he can no longer recount his life and times to you in person. That task has slipped several branches down the family tree to me and it is with some trepidation, and a keen desire to keep true to his memory, that I have dedicated myself to bringing back to life the library of this fascinating, multi-faceted, complex character. So, come with us to the Ashanti territories; to Garcia's Santiago; to the lands of the Transvaal; the battlefields of France; the brutal hotbed of rebellion in China; and the glorious vastness of America. Share with us the raw brutality, the traumas and the evils of war tempered with an undying admiration for the men and women who lived and loved, suffered and triumphed in its fighting. Discover in these writings my attempts to chronicle the joys, the tears, the pleasures, the pain and the blessings of a life that George Clarke Musgrave always tried to live well. 
|
The Wars and Words Series - Kindle Unlimited
|
Military History
Wars and Words on Kindle Unlimited Amazon's Kindle Unlimited is a subscription service designed to make reading accessible for anyone. All the Wars and Words books are available but, in all, the service offers unlimited e-book reading with more than a million titles to choose from and includes access to a selection of popular magazines each month, as well as thousands of audiobook titles. These are regularly rotated to keep your choices fresh and timely. All titles and audiobooks available through Kindle Unlimited are accessible across a wide range of devices and platforms. You will be able to use the service immediately if you already have a Kindle reader or Fire device, or you could simply install the free Kindle Reading App on your smartphone, PC or tablet. This will allow you to seamlessly sync your downloads and reading progress across devices - automatically marking the point where you take a break - so you can start reading on one device and pick up where you left off on another. Amazon's subscription for Kindle Unlimited is just $9.99 or £7.99 a month, accompanied by a range of joining offers such as a "30-day free trial" or "6 months at half-price" from time to time. So, even if you read just 2 or 3 e-books each month, this has got to a be good value option. It’s estimated that there are between 3 and 5 million Kindle Unlimited members (WrittenWordMedia.com) and, if you are considering joining them, here are some of the main benefits for you to consider... - Works across multiple platforms, from one device to the next. - Gives you access to over 1 million titles each month - Also includes current magazines and audiobooks - You don’t need a Kindle reader, simply download the free Kindle App - Many of the titles offer a free Audiobook version - The free trial or joining offer makes trying the service simple - The subscription fee is nominal and you can cancel at any time Next...just click on either the US or UK “JOIN NOW” button as appropriate and follow the simple steps to open up your Kindle Unlimited library...enjoy. |
Visitors
