Military Obituaries

Book excerpt: This “classic compilation” (The Field) of newspaper death notices “includes the great, the brave, the adventurous, and the eccentric” (Soldier Magazine). Part of the unique series compiled by Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, this volume collects one hundred recent obituaries of military figures. Some have been celebrated for their great heroism and involvement in major operations, while others have extraordinary stories barely remembered even by their families. Those featured include Pte. Harry Patch, the last survivor of those who went “over the top” on the Western Front in 1917; Lt. Col. Colonel Eric Wilson of the Somaliland Camel Corps, who learned he had been awarded a “posthumous” Victoria Cross in a prison camp; and Col. Clive Fairweather, who organized the SAS attack on the terrorists who seized the Iranian embassy in London in 1980. These tributes and miniature biographies make fascinating reading for those interested in history and the military. As Andrew Roberts wrote of the first collection: “They evoke swirling, profound, even guilty emotions. . . . To those Britons who have known only peace, these are thought provoking and humbling essays in valor.”