“Where’s Waldo” and “The Angel of Mons: A World War I Legend”

People who know about these events will detect the many historical mistakes in the book and enjoy the detection. Like Where’s Waldo, or playing “gotcha.” I hope others will research the characters, learning who they were, and what really happened in the early days of the war. I especially recommend three books, one, a brief, clear report on the people involved in the planning and preparation for the way, with the emphasis upon the Battle of Mons and the Battle of Le Cateau: David Lomas’ Mons, 1914.

Antony Bird’s Le Cateau is not a brief survey, but a detailed account of the battle.

Also, David Clarke’s The Angel of Mons:Phantom Soldiers and Ghostly Guardians will describe where the legend came from, other early war legends it is connected with, and how the angel legend changed during the war.

One of the benefits of writing is getting to know other writers. David Clarke and I have carried on an extensive correspondence via e-mail over the past few years. The same is true of Antony Bird. Sarah and I spent five days touring the Le Cateau and Somme battlefields last August with Tony, his brother Nicky, and five other English folk. What a benefit.

I would like readers to submit discoveries to go into a Readers’ Guide to Historical Near-Truths and Inaccuracies in The Angels of Mons. On occasion I will add examples.

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