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Impeccably aristocratic and eccentric in a uniquely English
tradition, Aubrey Herbert was at first sight an incongruous
champion of Albanian nationalism, to say the least. Tall, slender
and slightly stooped, with a moustache and heavily lidded eyes,
Herbert wore a monocle and had white patches in his hair caused by
an attack of alopoecia in 1911. Within England -- let alone abroad
-- he cut a colorful figure
But Herbert was also an acclaimed linguist, intrepid traveller
and an outspoken and independent thinker, who became enthralled by
the Balkans on his first visit to the region in 1904 as honorary
attache at the British Embassy in Constantinople. From that time
until his death in 1923, he was indefatigable in campaigning for
the Albanian cause. He returned frequently to the country and
gained respect as an expert on the region, even being honored with
repeated requests that he assume the Albanian throne.
"Albania's Greatest Friend" charts Herbert's involvement with
Albania over the course of his life, in his own words, through his
own extensive diaries and letters. It paints an authoritative
portrait not just of a remarkable Englishman but also sheds fresh
light on the wider Albanian national movement and a fascinating
period in European history.
A remarkable man's view of three military disasters
This book is comprised of the journals of an intelligence officer
of the British Army written in often difficult circumstances as the
events he experienced unfolded around him. Readers will note that
while the focus of this book concentrates on notable events within
the Great War, they also happen to be some of the worst military
failures for the allies. Inviting himself into the war on the
Western Front as an interpreter, he experienced the irresistible
human wave of the German advance as it rolled back the outnumbered
BEF from Mons. His journal was compiled from brief notes during the
retreat and from memory whilst in hospital following a wound,
capture, brief imprisonment and escape. The second journal concerns
the disastrous Dardanelle's adventure-written 'in idle hours
between times of furious action.' The author was able to view the
events in which he was involved with clear insight and objectivity.
At one point he wryly reports an outraged officer complaining that
the Turks were walking about the Gallipoli Peninsula, 'as if they
owned the place ' The third journal was written in Mesopotamia on a
Fly-boat upon the River Tigris as Kut fell. The accounts within
Herbert's book are of undoubted and vital interest as source
material of the First World War. Herbert was an interesting
character. He was half brother to Lord Carnarvon of Tutankhamen
fame, he was pivotal in the cause of Albanian independence and was
offered its throne on two occasions and he was intimate with
several of the notable figures of his time including T. E Lawrence,
Belloc, Buchan, Mark Sykes and others. A talented Orientalist and
linguist-he spoke 8 languages fluently-he was also a serving member
of the British Parliament throughout the war whilst also fulfilling
his military duties. Perhaps most significantly Herbert achieved
all this whist under the handicap of being practically blind, an
affliction he had suffered from birth. Available in softcover and
hardcover with dust jacket.
A remarkable man's view of three military disasters
This book is comprised of the journals of an intelligence officer
of the British Army written in often difficult circumstances as the
events he experienced unfolded around him. Readers will note that
while the focus of this book concentrates on notable events within
the Great War, they also happen to be some of the worst military
failures for the allies. Inviting himself into the war on the
Western Front as an interpreter, he experienced the irresistible
human wave of the German advance as it rolled back the outnumbered
BEF from Mons. His journal was compiled from brief notes during the
retreat and from memory whilst in hospital following a wound,
capture, brief imprisonment and escape. The second journal concerns
the disastrous Dardanelle's adventure-written 'in idle hours
between times of furious action.' The author was able to view the
events in which he was involved with clear insight and objectivity.
At one point he wryly reports an outraged officer complaining that
the Turks were walking about the Gallipoli Peninsula, 'as if they
owned the place ' The third journal was written in Mesopotamia on a
Fly-boat upon the River Tigris as Kut fell. The accounts within
Herbert's book are of undoubted and vital interest as source
material of the First World War. Herbert was an interesting
character. He was half brother to Lord Carnarvon of Tutankhamen
fame, he was pivotal in the cause of Albanian independence and was
offered its throne on two occasions and he was intimate with
several of the notable figures of his time including T. E Lawrence,
Belloc, Buchan, Mark Sykes and others. A talented Orientalist and
linguist-he spoke 8 languages fluently-he was also a serving member
of the British Parliament throughout the war whilst also fulfilling
his military duties. Perhaps most significantly Herbert achieved
all this whist under the handicap of being practically blind, an
affliction he had suffered from birth. Available in softcover and
hardcover with dust jacket.
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