In 1930, the editor of Everyman Magazine requested entries for a new anthology of Great War accounts. The result was a revolutionary book unlike any other of the period; for as Malcolm Brown notes in his introduction ‘I believe it might fairly be described as a rediscovered classic’. It was the very first collection to reveal the many dimensions of the war through the eyes of the ordinary soldier and offers heart-stopping renditions of the very first gas attack; aerial dogfights above the trenches; the moment of going over the top. Told chronologically, from the first scrambles of 1914, the drudgery of the war of attrition once the trenches had been dug, to the final joy of Armistice.
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Book Description
In the words of Malcolm Brown ‘a rediscovered classic’. Sixty first-hand accounts of what life was really like in the Great War.
About the Author
Malcolm Brown is one of our leading experts on the First World War at the Imperial War Museum. His other books include Tommy Goes to War (Tempus), The Imperial War Museum Book of the Somme and The Imperial War Museum Book of 1918: Year of Victory.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By P. Kennedy
Format:Paperback
This is a different type of book. It relates to interviews conducted during the thirties with members of the armed forces. It provides a good spread of experiences and because the interviews took place while the events were still fresh in the minds of the people who were involved, it provides a realistic view. However, against this you must weigh that these were articles which were published in the press and hence could be a little "sanitized". Overall, light airport reading that can be dipped into and out of at will.
By Rob
Format:Paperback
This is a superb book written when the memories of the participants were still reasonably fresh, twelve years after the armistice. I have re-read my copy several times and it never becomes boring. It is however very dark and depressing in places which isn`t surprising considering the circumstances. At times it reads like a horror book, and more than once has made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. The normal human qualities exhibited during war still come through such as bravery, self sacrifice, fear etc., but what stands out the most is the feeling of hopelessness and a resignation to the fact that most people felt they were doomed once they entered that hell, along with the belief that the war would go on until the end of time.
By Paul Owen
Format:Paperback
..but I think that this compendium fits that description. The original editor , in about 1930, asked for contributions of a limited length from veterans and was surprised at the quality of the responses. The fact that these submissions were made by people who were still young and for whom events were still fresh adds something extra. These were a selection of men and women who felt that they had something to say.
For the most part, the entries describe an isolated incident or short sequence of events without attempting to be a set of memoirs. This works surprisingly well and more than a few of the writers show really show some talent.
Many scenes are vividly evoked.
Another reviewer compared this to airport reading. While I think this book is a bit more important than that , I have to say that I have been reading a couple of chapters a day on my daily 15-20 minute train journey.
The main criticism is the decision to place the stories in a very rigid and unimaginative order. First of all come stories of the Infantry in France (in chronological order), then the Middle East, then war in the air, then women's accounts and finally the Navy. Because the first group is by far the largest and shows a timeline from 1914 to the Armistice, it's jarring to have to go back to the start of war again in the Middle East.
Good advice might to dip in randomly. The chapters are short enough to make this an option.
Recommended to the military historian and to anyone interested in some genuinely interesting human-interest stories.
For the most part, the entries describe an isolated incident or short sequence of events without attempting to be a set of memoirs. This works surprisingly well and more than a few of the writers show really show some talent.
Many scenes are vividly evoked.
Another reviewer compared this to airport reading. While I think this book is a bit more important than that , I have to say that I have been reading a couple of chapters a day on my daily 15-20 minute train journey.
The main criticism is the decision to place the stories in a very rigid and unimaginative order. First of all come stories of the Infantry in France (in chronological order), then the Middle East, then war in the air, then women's accounts and finally the Navy. Because the first group is by far the largest and shows a timeline from 1914 to the Armistice, it's jarring to have to go back to the start of war again in the Middle East.
Good advice might to dip in randomly. The chapters are short enough to make this an option.
Recommended to the military historian and to anyone interested in some genuinely interesting human-interest stories.
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