Silent Division – One Man’s War | by O.E. Burton

Description

From the preface; “It is appropriate that the imminent centenary of the start of World War I should be marked by publishing in one volume the work of the greatest New Zealand front-line writer about the war. Ormond Edward Burton lived life at an uncompromising extreme, whether as a soldier – when he more then once voluntarily went to considerable lengths to put himself in harm’s way, as he saw it, in his unit’s interests – or later as a clergyman Christian pacifist. In both capacities, he was widely respected… In 1935 Ormond Burton -that rare being, a man of action and a man of letters – wrote a broader volume entitled The Silent Division – New Zealander’s at the Front, 2924 – 1919. It is a compelling mix of abstract and the lyrical in style. It is all written in the third person… Much later, in about 1968, he wrote an autobiography entitled A Rich Old Man, which was never published. Part II of that is Concerning One Man’s War 1914-1919 which in the present volume first sees the light of day in its entirety… Bringing the author’s two different styles and standpoints together in one set of covers, provides a unique record of the important period in New Zealand’s military history, and national heritage, about to be commemorated.

Pages: 467

Published: 2014