John Sheen Libros

The Durham Light Infantry were the largest infantry regiment in the British Army with huge following in the North, this book is written by the leading authority on the DLI and covers the Battalion's distinguished record throughout The Great War.

In March 1918 the German Army launched a series of offensives that brought them very close to winning the war. Military photographers followed their advance and took many photographs of the operations as they progressed. This is the war seen from the German perspective, British and French soldiers lie dead on the battlefield, and Allied prisoners are escorted to the rear, as the German Artillery pound away covering the advance of the 'Feldgrau'. These photographs are seldom seen in books dealing with the allied point of view. Many scarce and rare photographs show the carnage of battle throughout March, April and May 1918. The author has also included group photographs of some of the units involved, as well as memorial cards of individuals who fell or died of wounds. This book will be a useful reference to anyone with an interest in the German Army during the First World War.

At the age of nine, John Sheen faced the devastating revelation that his parents had died, setting the stage for a profound exploration of grief, resilience, and identity. The narrative delves into his journey through loss and the impact it had on his life, as he navigates the complexities of growing up without parental figures. Sheen's reflections offer insights into the emotional landscape of a child grappling with trauma and the search for belonging in a world turned upside down.

The "Pals" battalions were a phenomenon of the Great War, never repeated since. Under Lord Derby's scheme, and in response to Kitchener's famous call for a million volunteers, local communities raised (and initially often paid for) entire battalions for service to Western Front. Their experience was all too frequently tragic, as men who had known each other all their lives, had worked, volunteered, and trained together, and had shipped to France together, encountered the first full fury of modern battle on the Somme in July 1916. Many of the Pals, battalions would not long survive that first brutal baptism, but their spirit and fighting qualities have gone down into history - these were, truly, the cream of Britain's young men, and every single one of them was a volunteer. This is a comprehensive history of the Tyneside Irish Brigade raised in the North East. It covers their raising, training and active service as well as the aftermath of the war and how it affected the local community. Included is an invaluable nominal roll which will appeal to local, family and military enthusiasts alike. AUTHOR: John Sheen has always been a Durham man. He was a regular soldier for 23 years. He is the author of Tyneside Irish and Tyneside Scottish and he writes for historical magazines. *

At 07.30 hours on 1 July 1916, the devastating cacophony of the Allied artillery fell silent along the front on the Somme. The ear-splitting explosions were replaced by the shrill sound of hundreds of whistles being blown. At that moment, tens of thousands of British soldiers climbed out from the trenches on their part of the Western Front, and began to make their way steadily towards the German lines opposite. It was the first day of the Battle of the Somme. By the end of the day, a number of the regiments involved had met with some degree of success; others had suffered heavy losses for no gain, whilst a few quite literally ceased to exist. That day, the old infantry tactics of the British Army clashed head-on with the reality of modern warfare. On what is generally accepted as the worst day in the British Army's history, there were more than 60,000 casualties - a third of them fatal. In this publication, the authors have drawn together, for the first time ever, all the War Diary entries for 171 British Regiments that went "over the top" that day - a day which even now still touches so many families both in the United Kingdom and around the world. The result will be a vital work of reference to the events of 1 July 1916, a valuable information source for not only for those interested in military history, but genealogists and historians alike. ILLUSTRATIONS: Over 100 b/w integrated images