'It's the end of the 1916 winter and the conditions are almost unbelievable. We live in a world of Somme mud. We sleep in it, work in it, fight in it, wade in it and many of us die in it. We see it, feel it, eat it and curse it, but we can't escape it, not even by dying...' Private Edward Lynch enlisted in the army when he was just 18. He was one of thousands of fresh-faced men who were proudly waved off by the crowds as they embarked for France. The year was 1916 and the majority had no idea of the reality of the trenches of the Somme, of the pale faced, traumatised soldiers they would encounter there, of the innumerable, awful contradictions of war. Private Lynch was one of those who survived his time in the trenches. Upon his return from France in 1919 he wrote Somme Mud in pencil in over 20 school exercise books, perhaps in the hope of coming to terms with all that he had witnessed there. Published for the first time, it is a rare and precious find. It vividly captures the horror and magnitude of the First World War, written from the perspective of ordinary infantrymen, rather than officers. Told with dignity, candour and surprising wit, Somme Mud is a testament to the power of the human spirit - out of the mud that threatened to suck out a man's soul rises a compelling story of humanity and friendship.
Somme Mud
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'His observations on life in the line and of his emotions in battle strike a chord. Difficult to put down - it has the feel of being written by a soldier for soldiers' -- SOLDIER Magazine, March 2008
'In its honesty and earthiness it has quite justifiably been compared with ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT... a fresh look at life in a front-line trench'
-- The Good Book Guide, March/April 2008
'This vivid first-hand account of the experiences of an ordinary infantryman, Somme Mud reaches us as the voice of an ordinary, but highly literate, private soldier who simply endured the horrors that surrounded him and got on with his job'
-- BIRMINGHAM POST, 8 March 2008
'In its honesty and earthiness it has quite justifiably been compared with ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT... a fresh look at life in a front-line trench'
-- The Good Book Guide, March/April 2008
'This vivid first-hand account of the experiences of an ordinary infantryman, Somme Mud reaches us as the voice of an ordinary, but highly literate, private soldier who simply endured the horrors that surrounded him and got on with his job'
-- BIRMINGHAM POST, 8 March 2008
Book Description
A dramatic, immediate, personal account of life in the trenches on the Western Front during the Great War...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Withnail67
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
This is a great memoir, instantly ranking with book such as frank Richard's Old Soldiers Never Die as among the most evocative voices of the Great War as seen by the PBI. Lynch was an Australian, fighting with the 45th Battalion AIF from late 1916 to the end of the war. The centrepieces of this book are the descriptions of hand to hand trench fighting, which are raw and immediate. The most chilling description (apart from numerous descriptions of shellfire) are the images of the Somme battlefield in the freezing winter of 1916-1917, with casualties still frozen into the postures of brutal trench combat.
This is the Great War memoir of our time, if such as statement isn't something of a paradox. Lynch's Australian sensibility, his cheerful challenges to authority and the democratic flavour of Anzac `mateship' are more attuned to a 20th century sensibility than some of the more literary laments to the `futility' of the war in the 1920s and 1930s. (The attitudes to other races in the opening chapter are shocking but not surprising for a memoir of the time; their omission would have been a pointless and historically dishonest piece of editing).
A singular and powerfully important memoir of 1914-1918.
This is the Great War memoir of our time, if such as statement isn't something of a paradox. Lynch's Australian sensibility, his cheerful challenges to authority and the democratic flavour of Anzac `mateship' are more attuned to a 20th century sensibility than some of the more literary laments to the `futility' of the war in the 1920s and 1930s. (The attitudes to other races in the opening chapter are shocking but not surprising for a memoir of the time; their omission would have been a pointless and historically dishonest piece of editing).
A singular and powerfully important memoir of 1914-1918.
58 of 60 people found the following review helpful
By Greyman
Format:Hardcover
I bought this book as it sounded an interesting read. At first the way it is written takes a bit of getting used to, it isn't written after all by a professional story teller - the original text was penned by a soldier, Private Lynch, on returning from the Great War where, as an Australian infantryman, he fought in the front line and acted as a 'runner' for his CO. On his return in 1919, amazingly still alive, he wrote it all down in a number of exercise books as a method of making sense and coming to terms of the whole experience. The book is written as a diary and describes the every day life of a soldier on the front line. He gets wounded a couple of times and describes the deaths of others around him but, amazingly, he comes through scrape after scrape. The horror of his situation is all too real right down to the hand to hand trench bayonette fighting and the tragic losses on both sides. There are plenty of WW1 books written to clinically analyse the battles but Private Edward Lynch had the foresight to write down what he and others actually experienced. Some of the things he describes are vivid and horific but we all have a duty to read books like this, in my opinion, so we don't forget that we owe them our respect.
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
By WeatherNerd
Format:Hardcover
There are books about the Great War, and then there is Somme Mud.
The days of glorified war stories are over, and this book takes the reader on a gritty, totally from-the-heart account of every horrific day in the Western Front.
Whilst full of frightening moments, it also conveys the real sense of comradeship and frequent dark humour of those serving under conditions none of us can know today.
What struck me most about this book was the reminder that the prospect of being sniped, shelled (sometimes by your own side), gassed, or just drowned in flooded shell holes, was present every moment of just about every day. It's also a stark reminder of the appalling conditions men endured for several years.
A brilliant book that ranks amongst the best ever written in terms of actually comprehending - as far as we can today - what men went through, far from home.
The days of glorified war stories are over, and this book takes the reader on a gritty, totally from-the-heart account of every horrific day in the Western Front.
Whilst full of frightening moments, it also conveys the real sense of comradeship and frequent dark humour of those serving under conditions none of us can know today.
What struck me most about this book was the reminder that the prospect of being sniped, shelled (sometimes by your own side), gassed, or just drowned in flooded shell holes, was present every moment of just about every day. It's also a stark reminder of the appalling conditions men endured for several years.
A brilliant book that ranks amongst the best ever written in terms of actually comprehending - as far as we can today - what men went through, far from home.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By John Camm
Format:Hardcover
I have read many books on the first world war and the western front in particular. Many of these have been excellent, such as the Lyn McDonald books, which give great insight into the horrors that the ordinary soldier had to endure. What sets this work apart from them is that it is a full acount of the war, written by an ordinary man in exceptional circumstances. It soon becomes clear that staying alive was just as difficult during spells of 'holding the line' as it was during a major battle. An incredible tale, honestly told with bravery and dignity. A must-read.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By gareth
Format:Hardcover
fantastic read,a must for anybody with an intrest in this period of history. A book thats once i started found hard to put down, gripping and fantastically detailed of the lives they lived fighting the first world war.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Alan Robert
Format:Paperback
What a fantastic read this book turned out to be, you certainly shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Thinking it was going to be a dour & morbid account of life in the trenches, was probably the reason why i left this as the last of my xmas books to read. Infact, i have to say its one of the best i have read for many a year. The style of writing & general pace of the book wiil keep you rivetted to the very end.
I highly recommend this book, you won't be disappointed.
I highly recommend this book, you won't be disappointed.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was interested when I saw this book as my grandfather was at the Somme but would never speak of it. I had heard about it in history and seen a few television programs but I was interested to learn about it from the mind and voice of one who was there.
Once started the book is very hard to put down. My respect for my grandfather and those who went off to fight this war has grown tremendously.
A must read for those wishing to know about those unsung heroes who gave their all.
Once started the book is very hard to put down. My respect for my grandfather and those who went off to fight this war has grown tremendously.
A must read for those wishing to know about those unsung heroes who gave their all.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The best first hand account of the western front I've read. Made all the better for Lynch's slant as an Aussie. Great read & highly reccomended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting reading
This book tells the story of one Australian Soldier from his leaving Australia to his return having survived the First World War. Read more
Published 13 days ago by Mrs C Garfirth
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential WWII reading
Just buy it. Outstanding. The best and, in my opinion, most truthful biography of a man who lived through the worst events it is possible to imagine.
Published 16 days ago by P-J
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing
I find it hard to believe how any one survived this war. What the soldiers went through was horrendous as perfectly described in this story. Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. Whitehead
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent read
It helps the reader to understand and almost feel what it was like for the soldiers who took part in the war.
Published 2 months ago by Chris Page
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
Couldn't put the book down.well recommended to anyone interested in world war 1 no politics just the experiences of a soldier .
Published 3 months ago by mr terry roberts
1.0 out of 5 stars
Poetic licence or what?
This had a feeling that it had fallen into the hands of a fantasist writer. The original "Based on" material seems to have only provided a framework initially but the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Ray
3.0 out of 5 stars
Somme mud
A very good account of life in the trenches from an ordinary soldiers view point. Gritty and realistic as well as being well written.
Published 5 months ago by Stephen messer
5.0 out of 5 stars
SOMME MUD
EXCELLENT BOOK HAVE READ ALOT IN RELATION TO THE SOMME BUT THE FIRST FROM AN AUSTRALIAN SOLDIERS OUTLOOK AND EXPERIENCES VERY BRAVE MEN WHO PROBABLY DO NOT GET THE RECOGNITION THEY... Read more
Published 5 months ago by BD
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Unforgettable Read
As the author of Kindle's World War One: A Layman's Guide I read an awful lot of books in this genre. Somme Mud stands out as one of the very very best out there. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Scott Addington
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
I was looking for a book that would provide me with info about what it was like in the trenches of WW1. This account from transcribed diaries was quite superb. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Steveatki
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