Having a Go at the Kaiser

A Welsh Family at War

By (author) Gethin Matthews

Publication date:

15 October 2018

Length of book:

336 pages

Publisher

University of Wales Press

Dimensions:

216x138mm

ISBN-13: 9781786833471

BOOK DESCRIPTION
TABLE OF CONTENTS

This book is based on more than a hundred letters sent home by three Swansea brothers during the First World War, almost all of which relate to the period 1916–18 when Richard, Gabriel and Ivor Eustis were serving in different theatres. The run of letters written to different members of the family allow us to build a picture of what the brothers thought about a range of different issues as the war was being waged, and of how their beliefs and ideas evolved as situations changed. In common with other soldiers’ letters to their families, information on the battles fought is scarce – they are rather concerned with keeping the family bonds strong during the men’s absence. The dynamics of the family are revealed in letters full of sibling rivalry and affection.

Acknowledgements Tables Maps Illustrations Abbreviations 1. Introduction – The Eustis family; the local community; the letters 2. Richard and Gabriel, 1913 – 1915 3. Richard Eustis in Egypt, 1916 – February 1917 4. Ivor Eustis at school, 1914–1916, and in north Wales, May–November 1916 5. Gabriel Eustis aboard HMT Saxon, to February 1917 6. Richard Eustis in Egypt, March 1917 – January 1918 7. Ivor Eustis in north Wales, 1917 8. Richard Eustis in Palestine and Egypt, February 1918 – June 1918 9. Ivor Eustis on the Western Front, December 1917 – September 1918 10. Gabriel Eustis aboard HMT Saxon, November 1917 – October 1918 11. Richard Eustis in Egypt, July 1918 – November 1918 12. Ivor Eustis in England and Wales, October – November 1918 13. November 1918 – January 1919 14. Aftermath 15. Patterns and Perspectives Appendix 1 List of all the extant letters and postcards sent by the Eustis brothers Appendix 2 Servicemen from Mynyddbach / Tirdeunaw / Treboeth mentioned in the text Appendix 3 Information on servicemen from other parts of Swansea and West Glamorgan mentioned in the text Select Bibliography Index