They Were Spies! Americans Season 3 is Upon Us

I was interested to see this article on Wednesday, though the answer to the BBC's question is "No, that's absolutely ridiculous, and you should be ashamed of yourself for suggesting such nonsense."

Anyway, Lady Jaye and I love The Americans. We love the drama, the suspense, and the excitement, plus I happen to have taken a course in Strategic Intelligence, so I'm keen on telling Lady Jaye about the history behind the drama. We started watching right around the time that I moved across the country, and we buzzed through the first couple of seasons in a matter of three or four months - not bad when many of those episodes had to be coordinated remotely to correspond to two significantly different schedules. The third season premiered last night, and we're extremely excited to start watching it.

That's "Qu'aiti", not "Kuwaiti"

In the process of researching this post, I made an interesting discovery. When I was writing my dissertation about the Dhofar Rebellion,

"Muscat was in deplorable condition....I had seen what could be done in the Hadhramaut and in the Qu'aiti State in particular, with a revenue about one half of what the Sultan of Muscat drew in customs duties; yet here there were no medical services in the whole country. I made a tour soon after my arrival with an economic expert and a representative from the Development Division at the British Embassy in Beirut. The latter told the Sultan after the tour that, in twenty years experience of most of the countries of the Middle East, he had never seen a people so poverty stricken or so debilitated with disease capable of treatment and cure."[1]

[1] Townsend, John; Oman, the Making of a Modern State; St. Martin's Press; New York; 1977; pp. 66

In the interest of full disclosure, while that quote is properly cited here, and was properly cited in my dissertation, I absolutely ripped the citation off from this 1985 paper for the Marine Corps Command and Staff College by Major John B. Meagher, and I feel like I found the same quotation in Tony Geraghty's Who Dares Wins: History of the Special Air Service (the 2002 edition is linked, but my copy is the 1983 edition). I thought to myself, "Of course! In the 1950's, Kuwait was still a poor backwater! It would have been a perfect contrast to Sultan Said's mismanagement of Oman!"

No, dear reader. No.

In fact, while researching that other blog post, I learned that there was a sultanate called Qu'aiti, which was one of the Protectorate of South Arabia's four constituent parts. When the Protectorate collapsed upon British withdrawal in 1967, the four tiny monarchies collapsed and were subsumed into South Yemen, and are now part of the Hadhramaut Governorate in the present day Republic of Yemen. In no way was this the State of Kuwait, famous since 1990 as the venue for Saddam Hussein's final episode of military adventurism.

Let it never be said that I don't admit when I'm wrong... Even when I technically never voiced this particular instance of inaccuracy in presumption.

Love > Always Being Right

Early this afternoon, I read an article by blogger Justin Ricklefs entitled 12 Lessons Learned In 12 Years Of Marriage. Ricklefs doesn't mention this directly, but as I was reading his thoughts, I was reminded of another concept that seems to be important in the relationships that I've observed in both the ones that succeed, and the ones that fail: love is more important than always being right. I had some very dear friends a few years ago whose marriage had grown out of less-than-ideal circumstances, but they'd been together for years, and were married for a long time. Their marriage eventually failed, and while I think both of them were at fault, I think the fault was moreso with the husband: he was more concerned with being right about what he thought were bedrock principles than he was with being the loving husband his wife needed. (In their case, their dispute was over theology and religious beliefs, which may sound trivial, but they were both heavily involved in ministry at their church, him moreso than her, so he thought it was fundamental.) I kept trying to get across to him that being right was irrelevant if it destroyed his marriage - I even bought him a copy of Alex Kendrick's The Love Dare, of which I was made aware by the well-intentioned but sort of ham-fisted movie called Fireproof.


I run into the same problem with Lady Jaye on some occasions. I feel like men's brains are generally hard-wired to see things in pretty distinct terms of black and white, right and wrong. Working in security, it's become a big part of my job. Either a person is authorized access, or they aren't. Either a procedure was followed, or it wasn't. I'm very analytical by nature, and when I feel that a question of wrong or right has important ramifications, I can get passionate about it. The shades of grey - I prefer the six standard shades provided in Microsoft Office applications to the fifty of the infamous trilogy, but whatever floats your boat - are a continual challenge for me that I've had to get good at, and could still stand to improve upon.

I'm tempted to share a lot of back story here, but I think it's wise not to do so. So, I'll skip a bit and say that Lady Jaye and her family are Roman Catholic - her mother was actually a nun - and while my feet are firmly planted in the Protestant Reformation, there near its figurative border with the Roman tradition. Lady Jaye and her mother - let's call her Um al Dikrumi - are both very fond of Pope Francis, and have recently read a book about him. (Pope Francis: Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio: His Life in His Own Words) I've had some conversations with Um al Dikrumi about Pope Francis, and expressed my concerns that many of his statements are being taken out of context or mistranslated by journalists. I'm not sure if Um al Dikrumi completely agrees with me, but she's been receptive to my theory that the Pontiff isn't the liberal reformer that the media is portraying him to be; rather, he's trying to emphasize Catholicism's traditions of compassion, service, and love, rather than its image as a dogmatic bureaucracy.

So, where am I going with this? Well, let's start by quoting a couple of passages of scripture...

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

* * *
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
- Luke 10:25-28

... and then think about them. This is what the Bible is all about. This is what Ephesians is talking about when it says "husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her". And you know what? That love is difficult. Christ loved the church even though Peter thrice-denied Christ. The Epistles in the New Testament are all about screw-ups and challenges that the early church faced. Through it all, we Christians believe that Christ loved the church: patiently, kindly, without envy, without boasting, and without pride. What does that translate into for husbands (or boyfriends)? It means letting it go when you know (or at least, are confident) that you're right. It means forgiving when you feel that you've been treated unfairly. It means being selfless when your beloved can't or won't do the same. Sometimes it's difficult, and painful, and challenging, and it takes diligence and hard work. But we have to remind ourselves that it's important, and it's worthwhile.

And then, we have to hope that the ladies cut us the same slack.

Required Reading on the Sultanate of Oman

My buddy Nick and I share a common interest in the Sultanate of Oman. He recently purchased a couple of books, posted a picture of them on Facebook, and solicited my input on essential readings about the Sultanate. So, I could post a few suggestions for him... Or I could write an unnecessarily thorough list, post it to the blog, link to it on his Facebook post, and enlighten anyone who cares to learn about the Sultanate in the process.

I'll give you three guesses which option I've chosen.

The books below fall almost entirely into three categories: long since out of print, available on Kindle, or available to view/download online. Instead, I've divided them into three other categories...

The Top Five
This first category is what I'd consider the five most important books for someone trying to learn the history, and particularly the modern history, of Oman to read.

Allfree, P.S.; Warlords of Oman; Robert Hale; London; 01APR2014; link: I'm in the process of reading this book. It's one of several books that document the development of the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula from the 1950's and into the 1970's.

Gardiner, Ian; In the Service of the Sultan: A First Hand Account of the Dhofar Insurgency; Pen & Sword Military; Barnsley, South Yorkshire; 2007; link: Brigadier Gardiner's book is probably the best, most accessible overview of the Dhofar War available - and easily available, as you can download it on Kindle. My own dissertation on the Dhofar Rebellion probably cited this book more frequently than any other source, save perhaps for those of S. Monick as noted below.

Morton, Michael Quentin; Buraimi: The Struggle for Power, Influence and Oil in Arabia; I.B. Tauris; London; 09MAY2014; link: I have yet to read this book, but it's likely the only book written specifically on the Buraimi Dispute. The Buraimi Dispute may have been the most significant factor in Sultan Said bin Taimur's eventual fall from power.

Kechichian, Joseph A.; Oman and the World: The Emergence of an Independent Foreign Policy; RAND Corporation; Santa Monica, CA; 1995; link: This is another book that I've only had a chance to skim, but it discusses Oman's postwar development, and particularly its foreign policy, in detail.

Thesiger, Wilfred; Arabian Sands; Penguin Classics; London; 1959; link: Thesiger's account of five years spent travelling in southeast Arabia - at that point, Dhofar, Oman, Muscat, the Hadramaut, and the Trucial States - is truly indispensable. It's also an extremely enjoyable read.

Books on the Omani Insurgencies
Oman was the location of two insurgencies in the twentieth century: the Jebel Akhdar War from 1957 to 1959, and the Dhofar Rebellion from around 1962 until 1976. These are books specifically focused on those conflicts.

Akehurst, John; We Won a War: The Campaign in Oman 1965-1975; M. Russell; Salisbury, Wiltshire; 1982: General Akehurst's account of the war is considered the magnum opus on the conflict (or at least, it will be until I write my book). It's long since out of print, and I think I paid about £60/$100 for my copy. It's indispensable for a detailed study of the Dhofar War, but casual students can easily get by with Brigadier Gardiner's account listed above.

Arkless, David C.; The Secret War: Dhofar 1971/1972; William Kimber; London; 1988: This seems to be a little-known account of the Dhofar War, based upon the experiences of a member of the aviation community from early in the conflict. I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Cheney, Major Stephen A., USMC; “The Insurgency in Oman 1962-1976”; Marine Corps Command and Staff College; Quantico, VA; 1984:

Cole, Roger and Belfield, Richard; SAS Operation Storm: Nine Men Against Four Hundred in Britain's Secret War (AKE); Hodder & Stoughton; London; 2011: I originally purchased this book in an airport book shop in Manama, Bahrain in February of 2012. Until I read Chris Kyle's autobiography, American Sniper, it was probably the most poorly-written book I'd ever read. I got two or three chapters into it over the course of a couple of hours before I gave up. Young people may enjoy it, but adults should stick to Gardiner, Akehurst, or Jeapes.

Fiennes, Ranulph; The Feather Men; Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.; London; 1991: I was informed in no uncertain terms by a Dhofar veteran that Fiennes' claims about a tribal vendetta against the Special Air Service are nonsense. I only cite it here because it offers a few contextual details, such as the long-term presence of Commonwealth troops contracted to the Sultan's Armed Forces and Royal Oman Police.

Fiennes, Ranulph; Where Soldiers Fear to Tread; Hodder & Stoughton, Ltd.; unknown; 1983: I haven't heard much about this book, but it's Fiennes' actual account of his time in Oman in the 1960's. Fair warning: Fiennes has a reputation for embellishment.

Geraghty, Tony; Who Dares Wins: The Story of the SAS 1950-1982; Fontana Paperbacks; Glasgow; 1983: Geraghty's book contains some brief accounts of the Special Air Service's participation in the Jebel Akhdar and Dhofar Wars.

al Hamdani, Ibrahim bin Saif; Development as an anti-Insurgency weapon: The Dhofar War; unknown; unknown; unknown; link: I'm actually hoping that Nick will be able to locate and procure a copy of this book for me.

Higgins, Andrew; With the SAS and Other Animals: A Vet's Experiences During the Dhofar War 1974 (AKE); Pen & Sword Military; Barnsley, South Yorkshire; 2011: Dr. Higgins' book is a bit less exhaustive than Brigadier Gardiner's, but extremely valuable for studying the civil affairs portion of the Dhofar campaign. It's also a pretty enjoyable read, as Dr. Higgins' experiences were somewhat unique relative to the accounts of other Dhofar veterans.

Hoffman, Bruce; British Air Power in Peripheral Conflict 1919-1976; RAND Corporation; Santa Monica, CA; 1989; link: Hoffman's book includes an excellent section on aviation operations in Dhofar.

Jeapes, Tony; SAS Secret War: Operation Storm in the Middle East; Greenhill Books; London; 2005: Major General Jeapes' book focuses somewhat on Special Air Service operations, but should really be seen as complementary to General Akehurst's account listed above. One could essentially write a comprehensive overview of the conflict based upon their accounts alone.

Kane, Ray; Coup D'état Oman; N/A; N/A; 2012; link: This is a recent release that I haven't had a chance to read yet.

Meagher, Major John B., USMC; The Jebel Akhdar War Oman 1954-1959; Marine Corps Command and Staff College; Quantico, VA; 1985; link: Major Meagher, writing in 1985, provides one of the few easily accessible accounts of the 1957-'59 Jebel Akhdar War.

Monick, S.; “Victory in Hades: The Forgotten Wars of Oman 1957-1959 and 1970-1976, Part 1”; Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol. 12, Nr 3; Saldanha, South Africa; 1982; link: Following from Major Meagher's account listed directly above, S. Monick's account of the Jebel Akhdar War is the other account of the Jebel Akhdar War which is most accessible.

Monick, S.; “Victory in Hades: The Forgotten Wars of Oman 1957-1959 and 1970-1976, Part 2A: The Dhofar Campaign 1970-1976”; Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol. 12, Nr 4; Saldanha, South Africa; 1982; link: Following from S. Monick's account of the Jebel Akhdar War, I found his study of the Dhofar War extremely valuable, and its only competitor for most citations would have been Brigadier Gardiner's book.

Monick, S.; “Victory in Hades: The Forgotten Wars of Oman 1957-1959 and 1970-1976, Part 2B: The Dhofar Campaign 1970-1976”; Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol. 13, Nr 1; Saldanha, South Africa; 1983; link: See above.

Myklebust, Martin and Smithee, Alan; “Six Requirements for Success in Modern Counterinsurgency”; Small Wars Journal; Bethesda, MD; 11JUL2013; link: Nick will know why this particular article is significant, but beyond that, the authors provide a good overview of the Dhofar War, contrasted with the Algerian Revolution.

N/A; British Army Field Manual, Volume 1 Part 10, Countering Insurgency; British Ministry of Defence; N/A; 2009; link: The MoD's 2009 counterinsurgency field manual includes a case study on the Dhofar War. This is in contrast to the DoD's 2006 field manual, which only mentions the Dhofar War when citing Jeapes' book in the annotated bibliography.

Ray, Bryan; Dangerous Frontiers: Campaigning in Somaliland and Oman; Pen & Sword Military; Barnsley, South Yorkshire; 2012; link: This is another recent release that I haven't had an opportunity to read yet.

Peterson, J.E.; Oman's Insurgencies: The Sultanate's Struggle for Supremacy; Saqi Books; London; 02JAN2013; link: This is another recent release that I haven't had an opportunity to read yet. One of Nick's friends recommended it.

Spicer, Timothy; An Unorthodox Soldier; Mainstream Publishing; Edinburgh; 1999: Spicer's book (which was allegedly written by a ghost writer) mentions Oman only briefly, in a couple of paragraphs which discuss how "Sultan Quabos" employed British troops in support of local militias. Spicer is a controversial figure, and his book offers little to the narrative, but I'm including it because it played a significant role in my own life and career.

Townsend, John; Oman, the Making of a Modern State; St. Martin's Press; New York; 1977: I think that either Major Cheney or Major Meagher cited this book, and I grabbed the citation. I don't think I've actually ever seen it in person.

White, Rowland; Storm Front: The Epic True Story of a Secret War, the SAS's Greatest Battle, and the British Pilots Who Saved Them; Corgi; London; 2011: Following from Arkless and Hoffman, Rowland White's excellent book details the air war in Dhofar, and particularly the attack pilots' role in the Battle of Mirbat.

Recent News Articles and Other Items
In addition to the books, here's a selection of articles from the last few years. The give a bit local and international context for the last ten years or so. The two exceptions are the first item, which discusses Oman's role in preparations for the 1991 Persian Gulf War; and the final item, which is a travel guide that I've found useful.

Brown, Ronald J.; U. S. Marines in the Persian Gulf, 1990-1991: With Marine Forces Afloat in Desert Shield and Desert Storm; History and Museums Division, Headquarters, United States Marine Corps; Washington, D.C.; 1998; link

Grogan, Specialist Cory; Oregon National Guard unit impresses in Oman; Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office; Rubkut Training Range, Oman; 30MAR2012; link

Kaplan, Robert; Oman's Renaissance Man; Foreign Policy; N/A; 01MAR2011; link

Miller, Judith; The view from the Gulf: America’s quiet go-between speaks; Fox News; N/A; 31JAN2012; link

N/A; Oman uncovers 'spy network' but UAE denies any links; BBC; N/A; 31JAN2011; link

N/A; US embassy cables: Oman helped secure release of British sailors held by Iran; The Guardian; N/A; 10DEC2010; link

Nicoll, Fergus; Oman: Sultan Qaboos still popular despite discontent; BBC; Muscat; 03MAR2011; link

Slackman, Michael; Oman Navigates Between Iran and Arab Nations; New York Times; Muscat; 15MAY2009; link

Staff Writers; More than 2,000 protest Friday in Salalah, Oman; Gulf News; Muscat; 22APR2011; link

Thomas, Gavin; The Rough Guide to Oman; Rough Guides/Penguin Group; N/A; 2011; link

* * *
For anyone out there who's a true Oman novice, I'd also recommend the Defense Language Institute's Countries in Perspective presentation on Oman.

The list above is thorough, but not exhaustive; after all, I have to keep some tricks up my sleeve for when I write my own book about Oman and the Dhofar Rebellion. I hope to start writing that by the end of the year, once I've completed my book on the Orcadian Gordon Highlanders.

Reading in 2015

This year, one of my goals is to read more than I have in previous years. Every year, I intend to read more, but I'm trying to establish some good habits early in the year that I can build on throughout the year, and one such activity is reading. With Lady Jaye's recent visit concluded, I'm back to having some expendable time during most of my evenings, and one thing I've been pretty good about doing in this first week of the new year is reading most evenings. I set a goal on GoodReads of reading eight books in 2015. Since planning ahead tends to help to ensure that I accomplish goals (or, at least, I come closer to it than I would otherwise), I've made a list of the books I want to read this year. The first two are in order, and the rest are in no particular order.

1) Cyber War Will Not Take Place by Thomas Rid: Dr. Thomas Rid has been interviewed about "cyber war" on King's College London's War Studies Podcast several times: in October 2011, April 2013, and October 2013. I began reading his book in December, and have finished several more chapters in the last week. As I write this, I have a bit more to go, and I've been very pleased with Dr. Rid's arguments.

2) Warlords of Oman by P.S. Allfree: I've written extensively about my research about the Dhofar Rebellion. Last year, Amazon offered several new books on the conflict for download on Kindle, and I ended up reading a couple of chapters of this one before being distracted by other projects. I'm looking forward to picking it back up and reading through it once I'm finished with Dr. Rid's book.

3) Churchill's First War: Young Winston at War with the Afghans by Con Coughlin: Not quite a year ago, I listened to a lecture podcast from the Heritage Foundation in which Con Coughlin spoke about this book. I'm eager to read about Churchill's tenure in the Northwest Frontier (now in Pakistan, then in British India), which led him to write The Story of the Malakand Field Force.

4) Bleeding Talent: How the US Military Mismanages Great Leaders and Why It's Time for a Revolution by Tim Kane: Back in 2011, Dr. Tim Kane published an excellent article in The Atlantic entitled Why Our Best Officers are Leaving, in which he discussed the reasons why some of America's most talented military officers have chosen to leave uniformed service in favor of civilian jobs. Dr. Kane and a couple of other speakers were subsequently featured at an event at the Heritage Foundation. This book is an expansion of the article. Having never made it to commissioning for a number of the reasons discussed in the article and lectures, I'm very eager to read this, and suspect that it will satisfy my confirmation bias... Sort of like that Thomas Rid book.

5) Grounded: The Case for Abolishing the United States Air Force by Robert M. Farley: This one's another case of confirmation bias for yours truly. I've questioned the Air Force's need to exist as an independent service for a long time, and that suspicion only intensified as I studied for my master's degree in Strategy. I've listened to one interview with Robert Farley, and I've found another and another.

6) Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin: Lady Jaye's school participates in a literacy program, and this is one of the books on the list. We previously read No Easy Day and American Sniper together while I was in Scotland, and sort of burned out on Saving Private Sarbi, so we're eager to read this one together. The reviews suggest that even though the target audience is kids, it's a good overview of the atomic bomb program in the 1940's, so my time spent studying strategic nuclear doctrine makes me even more keen to read it.

7) Tower of the Sun: Stories From the Middle East and North Africa by Michael Totten: I've been following the dispatches of Michael J. Totten, a Portland-based journalist who's reported from a variety of locales. I was trying to read one of his earlier books, Where the West Ends, but that was sort of pre-empted by a combination of graduate school and laziness. I'm really looking forward to reading Totten's latest collection of dispatches.

Of course, that's not all I'll be reading this year. I do a chapter from the Bible most days, along with a passage from On War, and obviously the news. I'll also be reading from The Design and Evaluation of Physical Protection Systems by Mary Lynn Garcia and ATTP 3-39.32 (FM 3-19.30) Physical Security (the Army's physical security manual) as I pursue my PSP certification, and potentially additional materials should I choose to pursue my CISSP as well. As for that yet-to-be-chosen eighth book, I'm not sure what it will be. Maybe I'll follow up on Coughlin's book by reading The Story of the Malakand Field Force, or maybe I'll finish Where the West Ends, or H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, or Jules Vern's The Mysterious Island... Only time will tell.

UPDATE: Related: I may or may not have just submitted a profile for WarBooks.

The Cost of Science Careers

I found this article, A Career in Science Will Cost You Your Firstborn. I present it to you, the valued reader, without commentary, for your consideration.

OGHAP: Soldiers' Wills

A couple of weeks ago, I came into a very exciting new resource for the book: seven last wills and testaments.

Early in 2014, the BBC reported that the last wills and testaments of twenty-six thousand Scottish soldiers from the First World War were going online. Eventually, I ran every name on my master list through the search function at the National Records of Scotland website, and came up with seven hits: William Charles Allan, James Brown, Francis Eunson, John Logie, George A.C. Manson, John Kirkness Maxwell, and Ian Merrilees. The first six were Gordon Highlanders who died in the conflict (all of them Privates, save for Lance Corporal Manson), while Private Ian Merrilees was the son of one of the most noteworthy Orcadian Gordon Highlanders, Archibald Merrilees.

I checked a couple of websites - the NRS website, and Scotland's People, and eventually learned two things. First, the records are not available online. Second, you have to pay for them - in fact, you have to pay just to have the NRS staff ascertain how many pages of records your total order constitutes, and how much that will cost, and then that search fee goes toward your actual order fee. If you ask me, both of these developments are extremely silly. Why even announce their release if they're not being made available online? As the BBC article claimed:

The last wishes of 26,000 fallen Scottish soldiers will be made available online by the National Records of Scotland.

[...]

Welcoming the project, First Minister Alex Salmond said: "This year, when we mark the centenary of the start of the Great War, we reflect on the sacrifices made by generations of service men and women, including those currently serving.

"Digitally archiving all 26,000 wills online presents a unique glimpse into the lives of the individuals who fought and fell for our freedom."

So, the claim that the wills are "digitally archived" and "available online" were just a few more falsitudes from the lips of (now-)former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond. Beyond that: why charge for hundred-year-old documents that are held by the Scottish government? So much for the myth of an oil-funded tartan socialist wonderland...

Anyway.

Despite my annoyance that the files weren't just available via the web, and weren't free, and (as I eventually learned) couldn't even be E-mailed, I ponied up the cash (around $25-30 when all was said and done) for the NRS staff to do the search for the documents, and then to have the records mailed across the Atlantic on a very smart-looking "Scotland's People" flash drive. I want to make a point of noting that despite my annoyance, the staff at the NRS were extremely professional, polite, and efficient; the Royal Mail and the U.S. Postal Service not quite so much, but I'm used to that by now. The documents - only about five megabytes of files - arrived, and save for the basically unreadable will of Private Merrilees, most of them are in great shape and entirely legible.

The soldiers in question, pretty much to a man, are individuals for whom we only had a few bits of basic information prior to the release and discovery of those wills. We basically have only the following information about many of the men on the list: name, rank, unit (battalion within the regiment, or other units in which they served before or after), date of death, age at time of death, final resting place, home, service number, potentially the location where they enlisted, the URL for any relevant websites (e.g. the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for those killed in action), and that's about it - some of those data points aren't even confirmed. Most have an accompanying medal card, and we have photos of more of them than I would have expected at the outset, but that's still a pretty thin historical record. So, I'm quite excited about these wills, because they provide more of these men's stories. After a break for emergent operational requirements (work projects at the office, and Christmas/New Year requirements at the house), research and writing will resume on January 5th. Stay tuned.