War Experiences
The Great Push
Front cover of Patrick MacGill’s book, The Great Push. This is the cover of an edition published in 2000 by Birlinn Ltd, Edinburgh, however, it was originally published in 1916. This legendary war literature records MacGill’s experiences at the front line in France, were he wrote this book in the trenches, between raids. In particular, it describes the advance of the London-Irish at the mining town of Loos, France, 1915. After receiving an injury at the Battle of Loos, MacGill finished the last two chapters from a hospital bed in Loos and returned to London.
With permission from Donegal County LibraryThe Great Push
With permission from Donegal County Library
With permission from Donegal County Library
The Great Push
Front cover of Patrick MacGill’s book, The Great Push. This is the cover of an edition published in 2000 by Birlinn Ltd, Edinburgh, however, it was originally published in 1916. This legendary war literature records MacGill’s experiences at the front line in France, were he wrote this book in the trenches, between raids. In particular, it describes the advance of the London-Irish at the mining town of Loos, France, 1915. After receiving an injury at the Battle of Loos, MacGill finished the last two chapters from a hospital bed in Loos and returned to London.
With permission from Donegal County Library
Battle of Loos Map
Map details the positions of troops at the front line, at the Battle of Loos. Positions are given for troops both before and after the Battle, which took place 25th September 1915. Patrick MacGill had enlisted with The London Irish Rifles upon the outbreak of war in 1914. However, during the advance on the mining town of Loos, France, 1915, MacGill was injured and returned to London. In 1916, MacGill’s book The Great Push was published, which described his experiences at the Battle of Loos. It is suggested that he wrote many chapters in the trenches and the last two chapters from a hospital bed in Loos.
With permission of Donegal County MuseumBattle of Loos Map
With permission of Donegal County Museum
With permission of Donegal County Museum
Battle of Loos Map
Map details the positions of troops at the front line, at the Battle of Loos. Positions are given for troops both before and after the Battle, which took place 25th September 1915. Patrick MacGill had enlisted with The London Irish Rifles upon the outbreak of war in 1914. However, during the advance on the mining town of Loos, France, 1915, MacGill was injured and returned to London. In 1916, MacGill’s book The Great Push was published, which described his experiences at the Battle of Loos. It is suggested that he wrote many chapters in the trenches and the last two chapters from a hospital bed in Loos.
With permission of Donegal County MuseumJust as MacGill had used his experiences in the potato fields and navvying to write novels, so too he used his army service to produce autobiographical novels, fulfilling the public's demand for accounts of war.
One of the legendary episodes of the First World War, The Great Push was written in 1916. With a vivid descriptive power earned from actual experiences, The Great Push gives an insight into the advance of the London-Irish at the mining town of Loos, France in September 1915. This was the battle in which MacGill was injured in the right arm and after which he returned to London. MacGill wrote most of the book in the scene of action, in the trenches, capturing the frenzy of attack. This immediacy of experience led to MacGill's wartime novels being a huge success.
For a video presentation on his war experiences, right-click here Patrick MacGill - War Experiences Courtesy of Donegal Cultural Services
and choose 'save target as' (Internet Explorer' or 'save link as' (Firefox) to download. Alternatively click on the link to view online, however, please note that the video is 18 megabytes in size and is best viewed by downloading, though due to the size, it may take some time to download.Patrick MacGill - War Experiences
The same year, while on sick leave in London, MacGill married Margaret Gibbons, a grandniece of Cardinal James Gibbons of Baltimore. Gibbons was well connected in London Society of the day and they regularly appeared in the newspaper society columns.
In 1917 MacGill was transferred to the Middlesex Regiment, then to the Labour Corps, the Gloucestershire Regiment and various Corps in London. Publishing his fourth war novel, The Brown Brethren in 1917, MacGill "carries over into his fiction a poetic pen and a poet's eye for detail"(11). His Soldier Songs, a collection of poetry also of 1917, reflects a patriotism displayed through poems such as 'Spoils of War' and 'A Lament'. Revealing MacGills' inherent shrewdness, 'A Lament' features at the First World War Ulster Memorial in Thiepval, France:
I wish the sea were not so wide
That parts me from my love;
I wish the things men do below
Were known to God above.
I wish that I were back again
In the glens of Donegal,
They'll call me coward if I return
But a hero if I fall.
'Is it better to be a living coward,
Or thrice a hero dead?'
'It's better to go to sleep, my lad',
The Colour Sergeant said
Gallery
Photograph of Margaret Gibbons, wife of Patrick MacGill
Black and white photograph of Margaret Gibbons. Wife of Patrick MacGill, she was the daughter of a Royal Irish Constabulary policeman and was well connected in London society of the day. They lived in a house in Hendon, which Patrick renamed St.Margaret’s after his wife. This was a literary household as Margaret Gibbons was herself a romantic novelist, with genuine storytelling qualities.
With permission from Donegal County ArchivesPhotograph of Margaret Gibbons, wife of Patrick MacGill - With permission from Donegal County Archives
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