BOOK: First published in September 1920, the Railway Gazette Special War Transportation Number offered what was described at the time as 'the first connected account' of the role of railways and inland water transport in supporting the British military campaign during the 'Great War' of 1914-18.
The publication provided a detailed overview of the work of the British government's Directorate of Movements & Railways, and particularly the railway operations, both on standard-gauge routes and later on the extensive 600 mm gauge networks of the War Department Light Railways.
Although long out of print, the 160-page special issue is still widely quoted as one of the few comprehensive studies of the directorate's colossal transport efforts, both on the Western Front and in other theatres of war.
Given continuing interest in the subject, the UK's Moseley Railway Trust, has produced a limited-edition reprint of the special number. Being published in the run-up to next year's commemorations to mark the centenary of the First World War, the book is intended to help raise funds for the preservation of MRT's collection of ex-WDLR locomotives and rolling stock.
Hardback: ISBN 978-0-9576789-0-3
Softback ISBN 978-0-9540878-9-0
£19·95 or £14·95 plus postage from Moseley Railway Trust, 11 Ashwood Road, Disley, Cheshire SK12 2EL, UK
