"War Graves"

As an estate manager I was delighted to come upon a book by Philip Longworth entitled "The Unending Vigil - The History of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission". In 270 pages or so he gives a comprehensive account of the origins and development of the world-wide estate from its early days to the mid-1980s. From 1915 Fabian Ware's Red Cross unit took the first steps towards what are the principles, policies, procedures and practices of the present day Commission, ie circa 1980.

As a study of a time continuum of horticulture and war grave architecture in different situations and there are many lessons to be learned. Instances include:

• dealing with plantings in very different geological locations and endeavouring at the same time to reflect both: a) what might now be called a "house style", and b) a reflection of the "homeland" of the deceased (which was not always the United Kingdom);
• tackling the preservation of headstones, walls, buildings and monuments from the ravages of very different (for example) climates and subsoils;
• handling many very different national "tenurial" and other legal nuances, ie of the states where the war graves are situated;
• progressing established but changing principles and practices in times of changing geo-political multi-circumstances; and
• endeavouring to grapple with the Treasury in times of international currency wobbles and changing fortunes of the economy of the United Kingdom and virtually every economy of the world.

For me the book raised many questions of horticulture, architecture, construction management, "business" management and so on. Space did not provide all the answers but gave limited insights and a sense of wonderment that there is more to tell about "The Unending Virgil". Upto 1985 at least the Commonwealth War Graves Commission acquits superbly well.

Some 84 black and white illustrations (between pp 131-132) display the dignity and stature of the sites where lay more than 1.7 milllion servicemen and women from the British Isles and other Commonwealth countries.

First published by Pen & Sword in 1963 and revised and updated in 1985 -it was reprinted by Leo Cooper 2003 ISBN1 84415 003 6

"Square Foot Gardening"

Having downsized the allotment to half a regular one. (The other two halves are now being harvested by two seeming experts! I am learning much from them.) The down-sizing has resulted in a sense of being cramped - my feel for the allotment's "psychological capacity" has been diminished. So I was delighted recently to read Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening" (2005) but the thought of making 12" square beds was daunting. Luckily a neighbour is having double-glazing installed so I now have about 15 sashes and fanlights without glass and other timber strips to make-up the 1/xth of rods that I need to create. (Allotmenteers tend to use rods and the like - rather than inches and feet or centimetres and metres.)

The book has cleverly described how I can increase capacity and reduce work (I hope it works) - I have just noticed that is what the author intends from the long title of the book which is "Square Foot Gardening _ A new way to garden in less space with less work". The book is a 18 x chapters with all kinds of gardening topics. It is written for the USA but I am able to discern much to excite the reader on this side of the Atlantic.

(It is published by Holtzbrinck Publishers ISBN 13 978-1-57954-856-8 and
ISBN 10 1-579954-856-3)

Books For Job Clubs No 1 "Successful Manager's...

Thirteen authors have given us "Successful manager's handbook" in 864 pages! (I must admit to being a dipper on this one.) The page presentation is superb. Numbered check points run through the chapters of each Part. Each of 12 parts comprises four chapters plus an extra chapter in the first part which is on "Getting Organised". By way of illustration I briefly describe "Managing Your Career" with four chapters: 1 Mapping the Future; 2 Exploring Career Options; 3 Developing Your Career; and 4 Achieving Career Success. It does not have a bibliography but the index is extensive - about 30 pages.

Dipping to pages:

• pp 282 -285 presents "Assessing Your Inflencing Skills" - a practical self-assessment;
• p 542 tables "Differentiating Writing Styles"
• p 807 gives "Indentifying Methods of Learning" with 11 items and each has the "Factors to Consider";
• pp 826 - 829 provides "Assessing Your Career Management Skills".

The range of the book is extensive. Depth will vary with the reader and his or her range of management knowledge, skills and experience. As a boy my father gave me a book on organisation and methods and Gowers on "Plain English" - I know they served me well. How I wish he could have given me this one! It is utterly practical, relatively jargon free and the reader may interact with exercises, points to ponder, charts etc, etc, etc....
A copy or two of later editions will be on my gifts list for Christmas - probably as early presents.
Published by Dorling Kindersley Limited (2002) ISBN 978-1-4053-4155-4 http://www.dk.com/

"Submarine"

Jean Hood's book Submarine - An anthology of first-hand accounts of the war under the sea, 1939-1945 - was picked up dauntingly for it has 592 pages! (I hate long books.) I dipped in once (no pun intended) and immediately immersed myself for three or four weeks -utterly pleasurable reading. The book is a compilation of stories, yarns and memories of several dozen submariners of all or almost all combatant nations in World War 2. It covered:

• a) life under the waves;
• b) running, maintaining and repairing a submarine;
• c) armaments, tactics:
• d) you name it...

Like most groups of close-knit combatants the submarine's crew considered themselves special, every member of a submarine service considered themselves especially special. The sense of an esprit-de-corps bubbled up from of the pages. Other almost unstated attributes of submariners were a pride of service and an unstated, unspoken but carried knowledge of the risks and reliances.

The tales in the book take the reader though every year of the war - in all the relevant undersea theatres for the year. Some stories are sad, some incredible some touching and others amusing. For instance, an Italian boat was damaged in combat but escaped into home waters for repairs: surfacing near the shore rowboats came into view carrying a teacher and charges - they were royally entertained on board!

[First paperback edition 2009 : published by Conway (imprint of Anova Books Company Limited, London W14 0RA) ISBN 9 781844 860906) http://www.conwaymaritime.com/