Speaking at the launch the Minister said: “Major-General Oliver Nugent, commanded the Ulster Division on the Western Front between October 1915 and May 1918, leading it in most of its major battles - the Somme, Messines, Third Ypres, Cambrai and the German Spring Offensive of 1918. He was later knighted.
“I am pleased to say that the book is based on material from the wealth of archives held by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland for which I am responsible.
“What makes this book such an interesting read is that Nick Perry has centred the story on frank letters between Major-General Nugent and his wife. He has also included exchanges with King George V, Sir Edward Carson and Generals Hutton, Macready and Maxse amongst others.
“The book brings out some of the complexity of Ireland’s involvement in the Great War and it illustrates both the operational and political difficulties he faced while commanding in some of the most intense actions of the war.
“This week we remember those who fought in the Great War and other wars since, so the launch of Nick’s book is very timely.”
Nick Perry said: “ The papers of General Nugent held by PRONI are one of the most important collections in the British Isles relating to a Great War divisional commander. They offer a unique, and revealing perspective on the operations of the Ulster Division during some of the severest fighting of the War. Their publication will, I hope, make them available to a wider range of people interested in this important period of Irish history.”
Notes to Editors:
- All the profits from the book will go to the Army Records Society.
- Nick Perry undertook most of the research for the book at the Public Record Office. He is an accomplished researcher and author and has written many articles on 17th and 20th century military history, including the Oxford Dictionary of National biography and the Dictionary of Irish Biography. He is a member of the British Commission for Military History and the Military History Society of Ireland.
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