A must-read on Gallipoli – and more to come
Six months ago, we published Hell & Confusion: ‘Alive with Death’ (Opens in a new window) by Jim Grundy, the first volume in his Gallipoli Day by Day series. Covering August 1914 to April 1915, it has been widely praised, and Jim is now hard at work on Volume 2, which will continue the narrative beyond April 1915.
Gallipoli has been studied and debated for over a century—so much so that, as John Spencer asked in his review for the December journal of the Douglas Haig Fellowship:
“What is there new to say?”
The answer, he found, was surprising:
“Not much, one might think, until picking up this book.”
Spencer described Hell & Confusion (Opens in a new window) as “that rare thing in military history writing—a page-turner,” where Jim “lets the actors (and actions) speak for themselves, with only well-chosen, laconic, and often amusingly sardonic introductory sentences to provide context. It is a remarkable achievement.”
He particularly valued the immediacy of the storytelling:
“Telling the story of that cataclysm, day by day, brings the catastrophe into clear relief.”
“The author has done the hard yards in the archives and amongst the library stacks, and produced a work that will save future historians many arduous days (nay weeks) of research.”
With Volume 2 already in progress, Spencer summed up the reaction of many readers:
“This is just the first instalment. I'm already looking forward to Volume 2.”
And there’s more good news for military history readers—we have two must-have histories coming soon.
Inside GHQ: The Gallipoli Diary of Captain Orlo Williams brings to light an extraordinary first-hand account from the heart of command. As cipher officer at General Headquarters (GHQ) for the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, Williams had access to some of the most sensitive intelligence of the campaign. His day-by-day diary—previously unpublished, brilliantly contextualised by Rhys Crawley, Stephen Chambers and Ashleigh Brown—reveals the inner workings of GHQ, the tensions between commanders, and the unfolding disaster from an insider’s perspective. Offering a rare blend of military analysis, personal insight, and sharp critique, Inside GHQ is a must-read for anyone interested in the realities behind the Gallipoli campaign.
Also coming in 2025 is Floatplanes Over The Desert by Ian M. Burns, a remarkable history of naval aviation. This book tells the story of how the French Aéronautique maritime and British Royal Naval Air Service came to operate floatplanes far behind enemy lines, over sea and desert sand, pioneering techniques that still define modern naval aviation today. Operating along the coast of Palestine, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Akaba, and ranging as far south as the Maldives and as far north as Gallipoli and Salonika, these seaborne squadrons played a vital yet little-known role in the conflict. Drawing on extensive research and rare photographs, Floatplanes Over The Desert sheds new light on a fascinating chapter of aviation history.
