WWI's Lasting Effects
I saw James' post on WWI's effect on history, the book sounds very interesting. I just got back from visiting my parents in New Jersey, and got an interesting bit of family news while I was there. My great-uncle (my grandmother's oldest brother), who was believed to have been lost at sea around the Dardanelles, was actually killed in France and was buried in Villiers-Plouich, France. He was seaman with the Royal Navy, but apparently by 1917, they were putting anyone and everyone into the trenches, regardless of your branch of service. I'll have to read the book James referenced, once I finish my latest acquisition. James' point about the modern Middle East being born out of the ruins of WWI is dead on, Coll discusses the genesis of Saudi Arabia briefly in Ghost Wars, but clearly it's not a subject that can be covered adequately in a few pages.
— Gordon Weakliem at permanent link
