THE OLD CORPS:
A PORTRAIT OF THE U.S. MARINE CORPS BETWEEN THE WARS.

BrigGen Robert Hugh Williams,, USMC, Ret.

Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1982. VG/VG. Jacket in mylar protector. Photographs, maps, 140 pages.

"Here is a collection of colorful, and often hilarious, reminiscences of a junior officer who served with the U.S. Marine Corps during the period between the world wars, when life moved at a more leisurely pace ~ and promotrions moved hardly at all. The men who emerged from that period came to be known as the 'Old Breed', and the author, General Bob Williams, ranks among this illustrious group. His autobiographical account of lifein the Corps of the 1930s bringsback an era when the Corps numbered fewer than 20,000, and only 1,100 officers were on active duty. It was a time when a stylishness uniquely military, 'swank' as it was called, prevailed; a time when riding crops and swagger sticks were more common than briefcases, and elegant and complex drill movements were routine occurances. It was also the age before airtravel when Marines had longer sea duty and spent more time abroad. General Williams takes the reader through basic training and tours of duty in China, to assignments in Washington at the Marine Barracks and Roosevelt's White House. Particularly interesting are his lively descriptions of life in Shanghai, when the cost of living was low and even a first lieutenant could afford luxuries unheard of now. In those distant days, a patrol along tghe Yangtze River could be interrupted by an impromptu polo match with the crew from a neighboring boat, complete with bamboo mallets and little Szechuan ponies. Williams recalls fondly the magnificent 'squads right' drill that excited such admiration from the crowds who gathered to watch it, and firing the range for record with his bolt-action Springfield rifle. The author's wide range of experience allows him to treat a myriad of subjects with equal success. From bayonet salutes in the field to state visits in the White House, the reader comes to know life well in the Old Corps. Told with humor and insight, and enhanced by a superb collection of period photographs, this enjoyable account by an 'Old China Hand' presents a vivid picture of a long-forgottren way of military life."

OUT OF PRINT.

$45.00