TOP
0
TOP UP
Reading History
Log out
Get the APP
W. H. L. Watson
W. H. L. Watson's Book(1)
A Company of Tanks
Literature
5.0
A Company of Tanks, first published in 1920, is the final part of W H L Watson's memoirs of World War One. Watson, a young History graduate from Oxford University, enlisted as a Corporal in the Royal Engineers on the outbreak of the war and was sent over to France as a motorcycle despatch rider. In 1915 he published Adventures of a Despatch Rider based on his letters home, but by then he had been promoted to Lieutenant and transferred to the Divisional Cyclists (known as the Gaspipe Cavalry because the cycle frame tubes resembled gas pipes). A Company of Tanks picks up his story in October 1916, when Major Watson (as he had become) volunteered to join the Heavy Machine Gun Corps (as the Tank Corps was then called) and was placed in command of No. 11 Company, D Battalion. Watson tells how the tank crews trained by carrying dummy tanks of wood and canvas (to the great amusement of local children) before engaging in initially disastrous battles. At Bullecourt, tanks were delayed by a blizzard and then, conspicuous against snow, devastated by enemy fire that penetrated inadequate armour. In the Third Battle of Ypres they were bogged down in mud and gassed. Lessons were learned, and at Cambrai tanks began be used more sucessfully. At the end of 1917, after a bout of trench fever, Watson returned to England to form a company of 'Carrier Tanks' (used to provide logistical support on the battlefield) which he commanded in France until the end of the war. After the war, Watson joined the Civil Service and rose to high rank in the Ministry of Labour before his untimely death in 1932, at the age of 41. A Company of Tanks is a personal memoir filled with details of the messy process of industrial war, with its tragedy and horror but also humour, people, landscape, food and drink. It will be of interest to professional historians or anyone interested in World War One. In this audiobook, it is read by Stephen Lowe Watson, a grandson of the author.
You might like
The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas
4.9
With an Introduction and Notes by Keith Wren, University of Kent at Canterbury The story of Edmund Dantes, self-styled Count of Monte Cristo, is told with consummate skill. The victim of a miscarriage of justice, Dantes is fired by a desire for retribution and empowered by a stroke of providence. In his campaign of vengeance, he becomes an anonymous agent of fate. The sensational narrative of intrigue, betrayal, escape, and triumphant revenge moves at a cracking pace. Dumas' novel presents a powerful conflict between good and evil embodied in an epic saga of rich diversity that is complicated by the hero's ultimate discomfort with the hubristic implication of his own actions.
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
5.0
One of the most universally loved and admired English novels, Pride and Prejudice was penned as a popular entertainment. But the consummate artistry of Jane Austen (1775–1817) transformed this effervescent tale of rural romance into a witty, shrewdly observed satire of English country life that is now regarded as one of the principal treasures of English language. In a remote Hertfordshire village, far off the good coach roads of George III's England, a country squire of no great means must marry off his five vivacious daughters. At the heart of this all-consuming enterprise are his headstrong second daughter Elizabeth Bennet and her aristocratic suitor Fitzwilliam Darcy — two lovers whose pride must be humbled and prejudices dissolved before the novel can come to its splendid conclusion.
Memoirs Of A Geisha
Arthur Golden
5.0
Memoirs of a Geisha is a novel by Arthur Golden, published in 1997. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the fictional story of a geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II.
The Pastor's Son
William W. Walter
4.9
The Pastor's Son by William W. Walter
Rich Dad Poor Dad
Robert Kiyosaki, Sharon Lechter
4.9
"Study hard and get good grades and you will find a high-paying job with great benefits," my parents used to say. Their goal in life was to provide a college education for my older sister and me, so that we would have the greatest chance for success in life. When T finally earned my diploma in 1976-graduating with honors, and near the top of my class, in accounting from Florida State University-my parents had realized their goal. It was the crowning achievement of their lives. In accordance with the "Master Plan," I was hired by a "Big 8" accounting firm, and I looked forward to a long career and retirement at an early age.
War And Peace
Leo Tolstoy
4.9
War and Peace , a Russian novel by Leo Tolstoy, is considered one of the most celebrated works of fiction.It is regarded, along with Anna Karenina (1873–1877), as Tolstoy's finest literary achievement. Epic in scale, War and Peace delineates in graphic detail events leading up to Napoleon's invasion of Russia, and the impact of the Napoleonic era on Tsarist society, as seen through the eyes of five Russian aristocratic families.
Varney the Vampire
Thomas Preskett Prest
5.0
This book was originally published in \"penny dreadful\" form. This edition does not include the entire 109 episodes, which were published in three lengthy volumes, but this slightly condensed form conveys the full story and complete reading experience. Note that authorship has also been ascribed to James Malcolm Rymer. [812 pages]
If Only etc.
Augustus Harris
4.0
If Only etc. by Augustus Harris
Miss Billy's Decision
Eleanor H. Porter
5.0
Orphaned as a young woman, Miss Billy has had to struggle to make her way in the world. After finding a place in the family of her late father's dear friend, William Henshaw, she falls in love with his brother Bertram and helps bring him out of his shell. The two become engaged to be married, and though they are compatible in many ways, Billy begins to fear that she is making a grave error. Will the pair find happiness after all?
Romance of Three Kingdoms
Luo Guanzhong
4.9
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based upon events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of China, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in 280. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is acclaimed as one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature; it has a total of 800,000 words and nearly a thousand dramatic characters (mostly historical)in 120 chapters. It is arguably the most widely read historical novel in late imperial and modern China.
