The Daredevil of the Army - Experiences as a ''Buzzer'' and Despatch Rider: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

The Daredevil of the Army - Experiences as a ''Buzzer'' and Despatch Rider, credited to Austin Patrick Corcoran, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of The Daredevil of the Army - Experiences as a ''Buzzer'' and Despatch Rider by Austin Patrick Corcoran. Read in English by Steve C At just twenty-six years of age, the author – A P Corcoran had already led an adventurous life, having twice sailed around the world, experiencing many cultures and civilisations, journeyed and hunted through the heart of Africa, worked on a ranch in Bolivia and travelled throughout Europe. With Austria and Serbia on the brink of war and both Germany and France preparing for imminent hostilities, he managed to escape back to England just in time to hear the first cry for volunteers to join the British Army. When a special call came for University men to form for the first time a corps of motorcycle despatch riders, he signed up with the Royal Engineers Signal Section and undertook countless missions. In the middle of battle, the only way that communications could be passed between different sections was by the bravery, ingenuity, persistence and dedication of the motorcycle despatch riders. Promoted during the war from corporal to the rank of captain he also moved from despatch riding to being Brigade Signal Officer in operational charge of his section’s wireless, telephone and telegraph communications. Never far from the front line, A P Corcoran and his fellow riders and signal comrades performed an invaluable role in ensuring that the vital flow of information was maintained between any and all fighting units in the field of operations. “Deliver your despatch at all costs ...” was the watchword of their Corps. - Summary by Steve C

Recording facts

• Recording title: The Daredevil of the Army - Experiences as a ''Buzzer'' and Despatch Rider
• Author credits: Austin Patrick Corcoran
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 11
• Listed recording duration: 5:35:47

Catalogue topics

• Great Britain
• English
• First World War
• Army
• World War
• the great war
• signals
• 1914-1918 -- personal narratives

Track guide

1. 00 - Foreword — 9:11
2. 01 - Chapter 1 - The Author Starts for Berlin on a Motor-cycle and Finds Himself Presently on the Marne - Part 1 — 37:20
3. 02 - Chapter 1 - The Author Starts for Berlin on a Motor-cycle and Finds Himself Presently on the Marne - Part 2 — 29:16
4. 03 - Chapter 2 - The Author Assists at a Victory and Abandons His Bike for Better Things - Part 1 — 29:25
5. 04 - Chapter 2 - The Author Assists at a Victory and Abandons His Bike for Better Things - Part 2 — 30:39
6. 05 - Chapter 3 - The Telephone Proves Its Utility and Instability - Part 1 — 35:28
7. 06 - Chapter 3 - The Telephone Proves Its Utility and Instability - Part 2 — 34:00
8. 07 - Chapter 4 - The Wireless Comes into Its Own on the British Front - Part 1 — 40:14
9. 08 - Chapter 4 - The Wireless Comes into Its Own on the British Front - Part 2 — 38:43
10. 09 - Chapter 5 - The Author Repairs the Airline and Retires for Repairs Himself - Part 1 — 24:36
11. 10 - Chapter 5 - The Author Repairs the Airline and Retires for Repairs Himself - Part 2 — 26:55

Listen to this recording

Open the complete recording and player on Internet Archive. The player includes the full track list and available download formats.

Source and rights

This is a record from LibriVox's official Internet Archive collection, with a public-domain licence recorded in its metadata. LibriVox's policy includes its catalogue summaries as well as its recordings. Its public-domain assessment follows United States law; copyright status can differ elsewhere. The summary and track facts are reproduced and reformatted from that record. Dates attached to the archive upload are not treated as original book publication dates.