Guests of the Unspeakable. The odyssey of an Australian airman - being a record of captivity and escape in Turkey by T.W. White
Sir Thomas Walter White (1888 - 1957)
Category
Books
Date
1928
Materials
Place of origin
England
Collection
Chartwell, Kent
NT 3137362
Summary
Book Description (Summary) The following was extracted from the website http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/white-sir-thomas-walter-12013 which provides a detailed account of his life. While on a mission to cut telegraph wires near Baghdad, was captured by Arabs and Turks. Imprisoned in Turkey, he escaped from a train in Constantinople (Istanbul) in July 1918, sailed to Odessa, Ukraine, Russia, as a stowaway in a cargo ship and reached London on 22 December. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and twice mentioned in dispatches for his exploits. White was to describe his adventures in Guests of the Unspeakable (London, 1928). He was critical of the Australian tendency, in the wake of Gallipoli, to regard the Turks as honourable foes, pointing instead to the thousands of British and Indian prisoners who had died on long marches. After the war he closely identified with ex-servicemen's causes, and his war experience was fundamental to the shaping of his political persona. He also claimed that his encounter with Bolshevism at Odessa laid the foundations of his later vigorous anti-communism. Book gifted by Thomas White Book Inscription Signature Thomas White Book Inscription To the Rt Hon Winston Churchill with the high regards & esteem of Thomas White Australia House, London 1952 Copy of inscription below Date of Inscription 1952. The book was sent to WSC with a covering letter dated 6th Jun 1952. The letter refers specifically to the book, occasions they had met, and conversations they had about Gallipoli. The covering letter and the reply are below. Authors relationship to WC Between 1951 & 1956 White became the Australian ‘High Commissioner’ in Britain. In the Churchill Archives are a series of correspondence between WSC and the Author. They show that there was perhaps more than just a respect for each other but a friendship as a result of their experiences in WW1. Copies are below. Inscribers relationship to WC Not applicable Context of subject matter to WC WSC played a significant role in WW1, around the Eastern European region of Turkey and in particular Gallipoli. This book would have given WSC a further insight into the suffering of prisoners, from a first-hand perspective, in Turkey and surrounding countries. Events at time of book gifted In the year the book was gifted WSC was Prime Minister and Minster for Defence of Great Britain. King George VI had died at Sandringham on the 6th February 1952. This would lead to the Elizabeth II succession to the throne. As Prime Minster WSC was to have regular meeting with the heir to the throne during his term in office Link to Visitors Book No record of author in the CVB Location in Chartwell House Drawing Room, Bay 5 D14 Other Information Inscribed Book Summary Author Paul Simmonds
Bibliographic description
320p.,plates . ports..,map (folded) . 8vo.. Shelflist entry - state unknown. Provenance: Inscribed "To the Rt Hon Winston Churchill with the high regards & esteem of Thomas White Australia House, London 1952". Binding: black cloth.
Makers and roles
Sir Thomas Walter White (1888 - 1957)