The Thin Red Line

[Lachlan09]

In 1970 I bought an excellent book called “The Thin Red Line” by John Selby published in hardback by Hamish Hamilton. It told the story of the 93rd’s involvement in the war, from embarkation in England, via Turkey to Kalamita Bay and through the war to its conclusion, interwoven with the bigger picture from British, French, Sardianian, Turkish and Russian perspectives. It is full of detailed “small” stories, like the 93rd’s first casualties of the war, a couple of soldiers who got drunk on local hooch in Turkey and drowned crossing a burn in spate. Surgeon Munro figures largely in the book. So do the Duberlys, the husband being an officer of Lord Cardigan’s (Cardigan fancied Fanny Duberly), the heavy and Light Brigade charges (the British heavies in their thin red coatees trying to hack through the thick overcoats of the Russian cavalrymen) and of course, the Light Brigade charge, with an eyewitness account by Corporal Wightman of the 17th Light Dragoons (Lancers).

Sadly I no longer have it, or “Having Been A Soldier” by Lt Col Colin Mitchell (1968) in which kept a “Save The Argylls” car sticker I got in 1968 when I signed the petition with all my family. During my separation/divorce from my Scottish wife in the mid 1990’s, all my book collection had to be sold expediently in its entirety to a book buyer/house emptier (including my numerous American Civil War, First and Second World War book collections), so the money side was less than profitable and my books were gone ! Luckily, my parents still had in their house my militaria collection of French Foreign Legion uniforms and hats, so my ex’s poisonous family couldn’t get their grubby paws on that ! I now have my Legion collection with me in Oman.