BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 120, 14 February 1920, Page 11

BOOKS OF THE DAY

The Mesopotamian Campaigns,

■ "In Kut and Captivity: With the 6th Indian Division" (.London: John Murray; Wellington, Whitcombe and Tombs) is the title of a handsome Volume in whicV Major E. W. C. Sandes,. M.C., R.E.,- describes with a--vivid and picturesque realism the victorious campaign, long siege, and final disaster of; Ctonoral Towrishend's gallant, force, and the experiences of the author and various .British, officers and foldiers who, captured by the-.enemy, were-taken,first to Bagdad and thence by a desert march, the horrors of whioh will dwell long in tho memories of those who survived, to

Mosul; Aleppo, and later to Angora, ar.d their internment camp at Yozgnd, where they were fated to remain as prisoners of war from 1(116 to 191 S. lir successive ohapters Major Sandes describes th« earlier, experiences of the British-Indian forces in Mesopotamia,. the occupation of Kut-el-Amara, and' Nakhaikit. -witih the.operations at Nasariyeh, the Battle of Es-Sin, the dash for Bawad, the bloodthirsty engagements at Ctesiphonj and the retreat to Kut-el-Amara. , lu Part II he gives rt detailed description of the defence of Kut during the famous siege, and of the final ?ceno, when,'worn out by famine, overwhelmed by numbers, and unable any'.longer to', maintain so terribly unequal a struggle, Townshend's force was compelled to surrender. In Part 111, "Captivity," the author gives a -vivid description of the..awful sufferings, to which.the vast! majority .of the British prisoners were I doomed. • When it is remembered ■ that of ,t-he 2592 British soldiers who 1 were in Kut at the time of the surrender, three out of every five died, mostly ' from actual starvation, but no small number as the results of gross and deliberately inflicted cruelty within the' first year, of their imprisonment,' and' that only a mere handful were fortunate enough to l.ive. to set foot a (rain on their native land, the Turk will be seen iii a "truer light than that in which he has often been painted by certain writers on tlw war. The truth is that, althoueh in actual combat, the Turk may bs jio ; less chivalrous than was his British foe, i he can. as a victor, be as cruel and vilo j a creature as tho world lias ever produced. Major Sondes vouches for the ! fact, that "in the early stages of tha wa.r our rank and -file prisoners were murdered (there is no other word) by the Turks." .. Towards the end of tho war, on the other hand, "tho treatment of our men by the Turks was much better tlian that shown by. the Germans to tneir prisoners, and although the food given to our men was coarse and unpalatable, there was '-usually enough of it. It was purine the "ghastly march to Anatolia, in 1010" and the winter following that march that the British prisoners suffered so severely. I t Major Sandes commanded a . bridging train of the Ist Sappers and Miners of the. Indian Army, and reached' tho front in April. 1010. just about the time when the British attack on the Dardanelles was being made. At first the forces on the Tigris met with fair euccese, although their sufferings from .thirst and fever were terrible indeed. After -tho battle of Es-Sin the author tells how tho men behaved when at last they reached the river.- "The troops marchmi down to . the river and simply wallowed in the water. Men rushed into it lip to their knees, or lay face downwards on the edge and drank till they were sick, and then drank again." Of the official blundering Major Sandes quotes::' • hupiy, sadly ' significant , instances....... Before ..the war. thanks to Kipling and many military writers,"thero vas a universally accented belief—or Tegend!—that Indian military administration was something superlatively efficient: As a matter of fact, the more we read about that administration, especially as it was put to the test in the Mfwopofamian campaign. the more completely' is the legend of efficiency exploded. : .Of the mediral and transport services and of their hopeless, disgraceful breakdown—even at the very initiation of the enterprise—other writers have told-.-- Major Sandes gives instances of red-tape stupidity almost too gross to be believed. Tho Indian Military Department, it is true, blamed the financial authorities for-what happened on the Tigris, but tho probability : is that tho blame should "be- equally shared. - • ' <

The. book establishes the fnct that'there was never that co-relation 'between the operations in Eurone and on the Persian Gulf and the Tigris which there oujht'to have been, and that the utmost, confusion and lack of foresight were manifested ai the Indian Hcadouartcrs, not only when the war broke put, but for many month' n/terwards. Nevertheless Tnwijshcnd achieved a. splendid success.at the start. It was the arrival of a new and- more capnbie .Turkish General Klialil Bey, and a powerful - army corns, from Erzerum, which finally brought about the disaster at Kut, The odds were too. great against the British.

Major Snndi's's account: of lli« famous sieffc must remni;i -as on* of the most. • vivid and interesf-comnelling storied of British heroism which "the wer has urn. vided. Tli" author gives full credit, to tli« TnrVs for oqunllv- fine hraverv. Both Bide* suffered terribly from tho heat, -<nd it is pitiable' to read of {he dreadful scenes "-which were to he witnessed" in the hospitals of. the beleaguered cilv. The native Indian' tr«ops behaved splendidly throughout. despite the attempts made by the enemy, in wrapping " pamphlets printed in Hindu round stone* nm) slicks and thrown info || 10 British trenches, to promote disaffection. Major Snrifles'.* book, which contains a largo number of excellent illustrations, and many useful mans and diagram*, ■will, it is to h" honed, he -widely read throughout the Empire. It is written in a clear, direct, ivigorons etyle, and carries wilh it in every chapter evidence of the author's keen regard for accuracy. Domestic Architecture in Australia, "Domestic Architecture in Austru'.ia" is the subject of a special, number, of that now well-established publication"Art. in Australia," published by .Messrs. Aneus and liobertsou, Sydney (Wcllington. AVhitcomlic and Tomb-).' A hand-, eome nunr.to. the volume is prodnred in nn exceedingly artistic style; indeed, it is fafe to snv that no finer typography has over been seen in any work of purely Australian production. The literary contents include a general introduction by the editors, Messrs. Sydney Ura Smith end Bertram Stevens, in collaboration with Mr. \\. Hardy Wilson; and inlcrcsllmr- articles on "Domestic Architecture," bv Professor Leslie Wilkinson, on "The Jfecogmtion of Architecture," bv H pestrowe-Annear; "A Plea for Tradition, by W. H Bagol;and "The Arohitect and-the jMiture," by p. g Bods Mr. W. Hardy Wilson also contributes a special article on the building of l'emlia. n .Svdiiev suburban home, which, jud"in" bv the description given of it.by ;ts"fni° tunatc owner, appears to be'a'.-insular-ly pleasinc combination of good taste in architectural design, and convenience and coiafort in the internal arrangements nnd decorations. Ali these articles have wisely been written in a very practical w-nv. a nd groat stress is laid" upon the ilesirahlene.-s of Australian architecture navniL' an artistic character of its own. Jn« writers do not decry the followin" Jt instiable English or American traditions, but (hey rightly urjro that local climatic conditions should be more carefully considered than has too often been lie case m the past. Excellent as is' the M W arymatttr m this beautiful pubiKation. it is. however, the illustrations, m which there are a large number, which will, to most purchasers of the volume, move the main attraction. Thev have been produced by a half-tone method i which suggests photogravure, and include . reproductions of photographs of many j Series of dwciling-houses—from the or- : ftnte and .-lately city mansion to the I snug, well planned and pretty suburban 1 Bnnsnlow. It is perhaps a pity thai ! fiiors interiors were not included, 'but. j s-iter all. the book is primarily one of j

architecture and not of decoration and Looking through these beautifully produced plates it would seem .that certain styles of .buildings which nave been found peculiarly suitable to •ihe.-.diiwite of, California have not. boon ■ntliout their influence oil Australian' architecture." This is specially noticeable in. the reproductions of tlie large, open porticoes, pergolas, and what in America ..are known as sun-rooms and sun Dorches. In some of the designs there mav appear ro be a surplusage, and overckiboriition of exterior ornament, but as a rule a fine dignity and reserve seem to characterise the work of the Australian architect. A copy of this fin 3 work should find a. place in every public liorarv worthy the name, and in view of the greatly-increased interest, in domestic architecture now, very iiappi'y, being displayed in many of our towns, the volume should find favour Vitli many readers ciuite outside professional circles. A' Brilliant Young New Zealandcr. In a gracefully-written "Foreword" to "Noel Koss and His Work; edited by his parents" (London, Edward Arnold, Wellington, Whitcombe and Tombs), Sir lan Hamilton pays a high compliment to the literary work of a, young New Zealandcr who, formerly well-known in journalistic circles in Wellington and Christchurch, went to the front, and after being conipelled to retire from active 6ervico as the result of concussion, served for a time in England as a gunnery instructor, and, later on, joined the "staff of the London "Times," being also a .frequent contributor to "Punch." Ross died ■' in London after a tragically brief illness. Sir lan Hamilton contributes a preface which is followed by thirty pages or so ofagreeabl.v written biography, the remainder of the volume being devoted to articles and sketches on various subjects which originally appeared in the columns of "The Times" or in "Punch." . These sketches indicate the possibilities ahead of the young journalist, had lie lived, as. a descriptive writer and as a good-natured social satirist. As he grew older and his work matured it would no doubt have displayed greater originality and mote firmness of touch. Taken as it stands, as it is represented in the pages this handsomely produced volume, it is manifestly of high promise, a promise "which fate ordained was not to he fulfilled. .