Hello world

This is our first step into book publishing.

Over the past 18 months, we’ve spent hundreds of rewarding – occasionally frustrating! – hours transcribing Alec Riley’s diaries and researching the people and places he talks about. 

We’re doing it because Riley’s style is both wry and poignant and his narrative is full of fantastic insights. We think the diaries provide a useful and unique perspective on operations at Helles.

As a signaller, Riley not only had the opportunity to move around to different parts of the battlefield, like Joe Murray, but he was also party to conversations and information that was passing between local commanders and divisional HQ. There is one particularly moving passage on 6 August where he describes Brigadier General Lawrence weeping as he begged not to have to send his men back into the attack … his requests of course fell on deaf ears.

We find the diaries fascinating, and you’re probably keen to read them too. That’s why we’ve set up this blog at SteadyHQ. If you subscribe, we can let you know when the works are published. We’ll also share additional material.

So far, we’ve

• transcribed 125,000 words

• traced the life story of 60 soldiers, including Alec Riley

• drawn 14 maps

• generated 12 GB of documents and images.

Subscribe and come along for the ride. 

Cheers,
Mike & Bern