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The Royal Guernsey Light Infantry



The Royal Guernsey Light Infantry was formed in 1916.
Battalions during the Great War.
  • 1st Battalion
  • 2nd Battalion
  • 3rd Battalion
  • 4th Battalion








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Dec 2011

    Please note we currently have a large backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site.

World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great


Those known to have served with The Royal Guernsey Light Infantry during the Great War.

Select a story link or scroll down to browse those stories hosted on this site.

If you have any names to add to this list, or any recollections or photos of those listed, please get in touch.



1

Sjt Mjr John Errol Tompkins Northumberland Fusiliers

I am trying to find information about paternal grandfather John Errol Tompkins. He was born in Cullercoats and became a Sergeant Major. My mother said he was severely injured in WW1 and served in the Northumberland Fusiliers.



2

Pte Frederick John Leadbeater DCM 1/6th Btn. North Staffordshire Regiment

I have recently carried out a research on Private Leadbeater's family, he is the father of my brother-in-law.

Private 241201 Frederick John Leadbeater served with the 1/6th North Staffordshire Regiment during the First World War in France and on the 29th September 1918 was awarded the D.C.M.

I give below the details of his action on the 29th September 1918.

241201 Pte F Leadbeater, 1/6th Bn., North Staffs. Regiment

Private Leadbeater was awarded the D.C.M for conspicuous courage and initiative, Near Bellenglise, during the advance over the St. Quentin Canal on the 29th September,1918 he dashed over a footbridge which he found on the canal, and was fired on from behind by an enemy who came out of cover with the obvious intention of destroying the bridge. He at once rushed and killed the enemy and remained on guard on the bridge until others had crossed. His initiative and coolness were most marked throughout the advance.

My sister and brother in law have this year been over to France to see exactly where this incident took place and they were very moved when they saw the St Quentin Canal and the various memorials which have be erected in honour of the events of W.W.1.



4

Pte. Joseph Bainton 1st btn Lincolnshire Regt

My father served in the Great war with the Lincolnshire Regt. He was Pte J. Bainton 9540 1/Lincs.He was wounded in his arm and leg.The wounds got him home where he recovered in Royal Victoria Boscombe hospital,Bournemouth.He liked Bournemouth so much that after the war Mum & Dad moved here from Scunthorpe. We have a photo of Dad in a basket wheel chair near the beach at Boscombe. The whole family would like to know which battle Dad was wounded.He never spoke of the war at all.



6

Pte. William Henry Ball London Regt. Middlesex Regt. North Staffordshire (d.27th Aug 1918)

Pte William Henry Ball from Rugely, enlisted with the North Staffordshire Regiment, he also served with the Middlesex Regiment and the 7th London egiment. He was killed in action on the 27th August 1918



14

Cpl. John Bellringer 1/5th Btn. Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (d.12th Jul 1915)

Corporal John Bellringer. no: 1326. of 'C'Coy. 1st/5th Bn. Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, died on Monday 12th July 1915, aged 23 years. He was the son of Edward & Jane Bellringer of Clune Brae, Port Glasgow, a reserve player for Ayr United. He is commemmorated on the Helles Memorial, panel 183 & 184, on the tip of the Gallipoli Peninsulain Turkey along with 20,000 men who fell in the Dardenelles campaign.



299

Sjt. Joseph Heron 9th Btn. Durham Light Infantry

Sjt. Joseph Heron played the clarinet in the band of the 9th Battalion.



271

Alexander Lawrie 3rd Btn. Seaforth Highlanders

I would love to find out some information on my Grandfather Alexander Lawrie whom I know served in the 3rd Batt of the Seaforth Highlanders. I know he was there in 1917 as it is stated on his marriage certificate. Can you help?



104

John Miller Durham Light Infantry

John Miller and comrades who served with the DLI during WW1.

This is a picture of my Grandfather, John Miller, and some comrades who served with the DLI during WW1. The photograph, I believe, was taken in a POW camp, somewhere in France.



105

Robert Edward Meek Durham Light Infantry

I am trying to trace my family tree. I was informed by my father that his father, Robert Edward Meek was in the DLI in the Great War. I have tried to find out to no luck. can anyone help me? I have no other information about him not even his service number. It seems a complete mystery. I believe he was born in Middlesbrough and lived in the South moor, Stanley area.



106

Robert Brown Durham Light Infantry

I am seeking information about my uncle, Robert Brown (DLI) who joined up when he was only 14/15yrs old and was taken prisoner arround 1916. His parents were originaly told he had died but later found he was still alive. It led to their seperation. I believe that his return may have featured in the local (Sunderland?) newspapers.



107

Sjt Mjr Joseph Turnbull 3rd Btn. Durham Light Infantry

I am trying to find any info about my Grandfather's Service record. He was Joseph Turnbull of the 3rd battalion D.L.I. Prior to WW1, he was serving I believe in Cork, Ireland. He was a sergeant major instructor around 1917. He was wounded in France and I have a copy of his medal card. He had the Victory,British and 14 Star medals. Any help any one?



108

James William Robson 12th Btn. Durham Light Infantry

I'm trying to find any imfo on my great granddad James William Robson who I'm told served in the 12th DLI in the first world war his number was 17090. Can anyone give me any information?



109

William Albert Rose 11th Btn. Durham Light Infantry

I am researching my grandfathers service within the DLI during WW1 and would love to hear from anyone who may be connected in any way. Details of my grandfather are as follows: Name: William Albert Rose Born: 12 August 1895 Add: Possibly 35 Crossgate, Durham. Served in World War One 1914-1918 Durham Light Infantry. Army number and battalion: 25757 Sgn. 11th Durham L I. Rank: Pte. 11 DLI was a Pioneer battalion raised at Newcastle in September 1914.



406

Capt. J. McNiff Royal Army Medical Corps.

Captain McNiff of the RAMC was attached to the 8th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry.



517

Lt. J. A. Stenhouse Royal Army Medical Corps.

Lt J A Stenhouse of teh RAMC was attached to the 8th battalion of the Durham Light Infantry.



636

Lt Cmdr. Fraser HMS Doon

Lt Cmdr Fraser was the Captain of HMS Doon. On the morning of the 16th of December 1914 whilst on a coastal patrol from Hartlepool, he sighted three enemy ships and lead an attack. Doon suffered a number of hits with the loss of one life and 8 injuries. The ship floundered, the enemy took her to be sinking and turned their fire back to the coast. On board the Doon, repairs were made and she returned to port.



635

Stoker 1st Class James Fraser Hms Doon (d.16th Dec 1914)

James Fraser was killed on the 16th of December 1914 aboard HMS Doon when she engaged the enemy during the Bombardment of the Hartlepools. The ship along with Waveney, May and Test had been patroling the coast when the enemy was sighted by Doon's Captain Lt Cdr Fraser and ordered the attack. Doon closed to 5000 yards and was hit several times before she flounded. 8 men were wounded and Stoker Fraser was killed.



633

Able Seaman. Ernest Charles Cummings HMS Patrol

Ernest Cummings aged 20, from Brixton in London, lost his life when he was lost overboard from HMS Patrol when she was hit by a shell as she left Victoria Dock Hartlepool to engage the enemy during the Bombardment of the Hartlepools. He is buried in Holy Trinity Church Yard, Seaton Carew.



630

Ldg Seaman. R. W. Hook HMS Patrol (d.16th Dec 1914)

Ldg Seaman Hook was killed when an 11inch round struck HMS Patrol was she was leaving Victoria Dock in Hartlepool on the morning of the 16th of December 1914 during the Bombardment of the Hartlepools. HMS Patrol ran aground just outside the mouth of the harbour having been hit again by a 8.2 inch shell from the German ship Bulcher.



628

Acting Bombardier J. J. Hope MM. Durham. Royal Garrison Artillery

Acting Bombardier Hope was awarded the Military Medal on the 16th of December 1914 during the Bombardment of the Hartlepools when he was manning the guns at Heugh Battery.



626

Sjt. T. Douthwaite DCM. Durham. Royal Garrison Artillery

Sjt Douthwaite was awarded the DCM for his swift action in removing a live cartridge from the Lighthouse gun at Heugh Battery on the 16th of December 1914 during the bombardment of the Hartlepools. The gun had misfired on the fourth shell, one of the leads carrying the electrical charge to fire the cartridge had become detached. The drill was that the cartridge should be left in the barrel for 10 minutes until it cooled. This would mean the gun being out of action. As they were under fire from the German ships. Sjt Douthwaite ordered his men away from the gun emplacement, and at great risk of the cartiridge exploding, withdrew it from teh gun and placed it in a bucket of water. The gun was then switched to percussion firing.



623

Gnr. Robert Spence Durham. Royal Garrison Artillery (d.16th Dec 1914)

Gnr. Spence was killed by a German shell at Heugh Battery whilst acting as a stretcher barer along with Gnr Houston, attempting to rescue those men wounded by the first shell of the Bombardment.



622

Gnr. William Houston Durham. Royal Garrison Artillery (d.16th Dec 1914)

Gnr. Houston was killed by a German shell at Heugh Battery whilst acting as a stretcher barer along with Gnr Spence, attempting to rescue those men wounded by the first shell of the Bombardment.



619

Gnr. Harry Tyson Durham Royal Garrison Artillery

Gunner Tyson was serving at the Heugh Battery on the 16th December 1914 when the Bombardment of the Hartlepools took place.

The men were billeted at the Borough Hall and at 7.30 that morning, they marched to the battery singing 'Tipperary'. Each man was issued with 250 rounds of .303 for their Lee Enfield rifles, at this time there was a shortage of webbing so the ammunition had to be carried in the pockets of their Greatcoats. Harry Tyson and Jack Wilkinson were assigned to look out duty and whilst most of their fellow gunners retired to the shelters, they marched back and firth btween the Heugh guns with bayonets fixed. As dawn broke the German raiderswere spotted by the gunners aty South Gare on the southern bank of Teesmouth, and Heugh Battery was alerted by telephone,though at this stage the ships were beleived to be British as they were flying the White Ensign and had responded to the signal. There was a British ship in the area, HMS Doon, whose Captain was aware of the true nationality of the newcommers but was out of range of his guns. He led HMS Moy, Test and Waveney as they closed the range and began firing.

At Heugh Captain Trenchman ordered the gun crews to man the guns, Tyson and Wilkinson took up their posts at No. 1 gun as Number 2 and Loading number respectivley. The rangefinder crew took the barings and the guns were laid on the inavders.

"Then all of a sudden the three ships gave us a broadside and Captain Trenchmann called 'Action'"

The first of the shells began to fall and the men at the Maxin machine gun post were wounded. Shells also fell on the houses behind the Battery. The elctrical firing mechanism of No 1 Gun failed after firing two shots and it too several minutes to change to percussio firing whilst No 2 gun continued to get off 30 rounds. The German fire was very accurate, the shells hitting the concrete and bouncing over the Battery to explode on the houses and in the field behind. One shell landed next to the doors of teh ammunition locker but fortunatley did not explode. Teh German ships continued to fire on the Battery and the town for about 15 minutes before repossitioning and aiming at the docks and West Hartlepool. The ceasefire was ordered at 8.53, after 38 minutes in action, as the German ships retreated into the mist. Gunner Tyson noted in Ward's book "Dawn raid"

"I would like to say a word of praise to our cooks, Billy Sanderson and Arthur Hall. They must have been making tea all the time we were in action. As soon as we stopped firing out came buckets of hot tea."

Later that afternoon a group photograph of the gunners was taken



617

Capt. Oscar Trenchmann Durham. Royal Garrison Artillery

Capt Trenchman was the Battery Commader at Heugh Battery during the Bombardment of the Hartlepools on the 16th December 1914.

He left the battery in 1915 with many of the gunners who had served with him, to join 41st Seige Battery RGA in France, returning to Hartlepool to become fire commander in 1918. His brother Richard also served at Heugh Battery.



615

Pte. G. J. Wandless 18th Btn. Durham Light Infantry

Pte Wandless was wounded during the Bombardment whilst serving at Heugh Battery on the 16th of December 1914.



613

L/Cpl. Henry Arthur Scott Durham Light Infantry

Lance Corporal Scott was one of those wounded at Heugh Battery during the Bombardment on the 16th December 1914.



612

Pte. Thomas Rutherford 18th Btn. Durham Light Infantry

Pte Rutherford was wounded on the 16th of December 1914 whilst serving at the Heugh Battery during the Bombardment.



611

Pte. Walter Rogers 18th Btn. Durham Light Infantry (d.16th Dec 1914)

Pte Rogers was killed during the Bombardment of the Hartlepools whilst serving at Heugh Battery on the 16th of December 1914. He was 25 years old.



609

Lt. G. K. Raine 18th Btn. Durham Light Infantry (d.2nd Jul 1916)

Lt Raine was killed on the 2nd of July 1916 he was 19 years old.



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CROWN AND COMPANY 1911-1922. 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers

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A Detailed & readable history with num. anecdotes . Appendices inc. officers’ services, awards. The first 60 or so pages deal with the pre-war history,. The rest of book is devoted to the Great War in which three battalions served, the 1st and 2nd Battalions on the Western Front, the 3rd was a training battalion. Each battalion is covered separately concluding, in the case of the active service battalions, with a detailed itinerary. This is a very good history with many informative appendices including casualty lists by battalions, nominal roll of all officers who served between 1859 and 1919 with service, and in a number of cases biographical details, honours and awards including mentions


Honourable Artillery Company in the Great War 1914-1919

G. Goold Walker


The history of this somewhat complex regiment has been admirably handled. Each of the units has a section to itself and each section has its own chapters numbered separately. The story begins with the 1st Battalion, then follow ‘A’ Battery. ‘B’ Battery, the Siege Battery, 2nd Battalion, 2/A Battery, 2/B Battery and finally the third line units and the regimental Depot. There is a combined regimental Roll of Honour, arranged alphabetically (officers and men together) There are three indexes, one of persons, one of places and one of units.


History of the Welsh Guards

C.H.Dudley Ward


A very good history incorporating nominal roll of all WOs, NCOs and men who served with it, noting casualties and awards, records of service of all officers, chronology of every move from arrival in France to arrival in Cologne and list of enemy divisions engaged.
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History of the Welsh Guards




Devonshire Regiment 1914-1918

C.T. Atkinson


The author is among the foremost of the Great War divisional and regimental historians and this book is typical of his standard of writing and composition. He has provided a continuous narrative in a chronological order, bringing in the various battalions as they came onto the stage in the relevant theatre of war. He has made use of war diaries, not only of the battalions but also, where appropriate of brigades and divisions. He was also able to make use of collected accounts of various actions and experiences of those who took part in them, giving the point of view of the man in the trenches. One third of the book, some 250 pages, contains the complete list of honours and awards, including Mention in Despatches, and the Roll of Honour, listed alphabetically by battalions.
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Devonshire Regiment 1914-1918




Artists Rifles: Regimental Roll of Honour and War Record 1914-1919

S.Stagoll Higham


This remarkable book contains a complete record of all whose names have been inscribed in the regiment’s Muster Roll since August 1914, showing commissions obtained, when and in which corps/regiments; honours and decorations awarded with citations where published; and a list of all casualties. There is a total of 15,022 names, that is everyone who at one time or another served in the Regiment in any capacity. 10,256 received commissions, eight VCs were awarded, and the casualties suffered throughout the war numbered 6,071 of whom 2,003 were killed. There are summary tables of awards and of casualties


History and Records of Queen Victoria's Rifles 1792-1922

C.A.Cuthbert Keeson


This is a good history with plenty of detail and with many names, covering the period from the earliest days up to the Great War in an appendix (185 pages) at the end of the book. It covers each battalion in turn - 1/9th, 2/9th, the amalgamated 9th and finally 3/9th. There is the Roll of Honour and a list of Honours and Awards, including Mentions in Despatches.


Cast-iron Sixth: A History of the Sixth Battalion, London Regiment (City of London Rifles)

E.G. Godfrey


This history begins with the names of divisional and brigade commanders under whom the battalion served, followed by the Honours list where all recipients are named, except for Mention in Despatches where totals are given. The early history of the battalion is briefly narrated before the Great War, which takes up the bulk of the book. In addition to details of actions fought, in each chapter attention is given to some particular aspect of military training or operations, such as communications between front and rear, transport difficulties, individual exploits and so on, while to facilitate reading, at the head of each page appears the number of the battalion being discussed. The book ends with the Roll of Honour (1050 dead) and an index.


Royal Fusiliers in the Great War

H.C. O'Neill


Sourced frm the battalion diaries, personal diaries of officers, special accounts of particular actions contributed by soldiers actually involved, letters and conversations, the author explains in some detail how the regiment expanded and how each wartime battalion came to be formed. The appendix gives the Roll of Honour of officers (1054 names); a table showing the numbers of Warrant Officers, NCOs and Men on the Roll of Honour, by battalions; a table summarising decorations awarded, including foreign awards; brief biographies or notes on a number of RF general ranking officers; and several accounts of soldiers who took part in the various operations.


Footprints of the 1/4th Leicestershire Regiment: August 1914 to November 1918

John Milne


This account is written primarily for those who served or whose relatives served in the battalion, which is a good thing as we get plenty of names and the details of daily life in the trenches, officer casualties and new arrivals are mentioned by name in the text other ranks by totals. A reprint of the 1935 original.


Fifth Leicestershire: A Record of the 1/5th Battalion the Leicestershire Regiment, TF, During the War 1914-1919

J.D. Hills


This battalion history, based essentially on the War Diary supplemented by contributions from various battalion members. There is plenty of meat in this history, detailed accounts of actions and events in and out of the trenches, names of officers and other ranks, list of honours and awards.


East Yorkshire Regiment in the Great War 1914-1918

Everard Wyrall


This history covers all the battalions though only very briefly those that did not go overseas. The author, a prolific writer of divisional/regimental histories follows his customary pattern of arranging his story chronologically with chapters devoted to specific battles and periods of trench warfare. In the margins of the text describing events he notes the dates, as in a diary, and identifies the battalions involved. The Roll of Honour lists the officers alphabetically by ranks without indicating the battalion or date of death; the other ranks are shown by battalions and by ranks within each battalion. Given the number of battalions covered in this single volume the account of all the activities is necessarily compressed, based essentially on the War Diaries, without anecdotal contributions The maps are very good, uncluttered yet displaying tactical detail easy to follow.


History of the Dorsetshire Regiment 1914-1919


This reprint covers the Regular and TF battalions, each with their own index; And deals with the Service battalions and includes the Roll of Honour and the list of Honours and Awards for all battalions. It also has a separate index. There are numerous sketch maps in the text.


History of the Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) 1914-1919

Everard Wyrall


Wyrall arranges his record of the regiment in chronological order, following the course of the war from the arrival of the1st Battalion in France. As he describes the operations and events he indicates in the margin the date of the action he is writing about with the identity of the battalion involved; operations in other theatres have their own chapters. Appendices list, by name, Honours and Awards including Mention in Despatches, promotions for service in the field, summary of other rank casualties (deaths) in each battalion (officers are totalled together) and brief records of service.


History of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, 1st and 2nd Battalions 1881-1923

C.D. Bruce


The first two chapters in the book provide an historical outline of the raising of the 1st Battalion in 1702 and take its story through to 1923. The book recounts story of the 2nd Battalion on the Western Front, mainly by use of quotations from eyewitness accounts, letters, diaries and official documents supported by good maps. A good feature of this history is the recording by name of officers joining the battalion or leaving or becoming casualties, and the arrival of drafts with strengths.


United States Naval Aviation 1910-1918

Noel C Shirley


United States Naval Aviation 1910-1918 for the first time provides a comprehensive study of the formation and initial deployment of naval aviation in the first world war. The book covers not only the subject of naval aircraft, but also describes the activities of the Navy in the field of lighter-than-air craft. Specific information is provided on each of the Naval Air Stations constructed and operated, both domestically as well as in Foreign Service during the War. Detailed discussion is also provided regarding the role of Marine Corps aviation during this time period.


Brodick: Arran and the Great War 1914-1918

James Inglis


Account of war service of men and women from Brodrick, Isle of Arran and list of other Arran men on active service. This book begins with an account of the effect of the war on the island, especially preoccupation with the danger from U-boats threatening the communications and supply route with the Scottish mainland. The main part of the book consists of war service details of those who served, including nurses; some accounts are brief, others are much longer. There are separate headings for Nurses, Royal Navy and Merchant Navy, for regiments/corps, for Canadians and Australians and individuals are shown under the appropriate heading. At the end is list of names of other Arran men on active service


Beneath Flanders Fields: The Tunnellers War 1914-1918

Peter Barton, Peter Doyle & Johan Vandewalle


Whilst the war raged across Flanders fields, an equally horrifying and sometimes more dangerous battle took place underground. "Beneath Flanders Fields" tells the story of the tunnellers' war, which still remains one of the most misunderstood, misrepresented and mystifying conflicts of the Great War. A wealth of personal testimonies reveal the engineering, technology and science behind how this most intense of battles was fought - and won. They speak of how the tunnellers lived a relentless existence in the depths of the battlefield for almost two and a half years, enduring physical and mental stresses that were often more extreme than their infantry counterparts. Their lives were reduced to a complex war of silence, tension and claustrophobia, leading up to the most dramatic mine offensive in history launched on 7 June 1917 at Messines Ridge. Yet, Messines was not the end of their story, which continued with the crafting of a whole underground world of headquarters, cookhouses and hos


Underground Warfare 1914-1918

Simon Jones


Simon Jones's graphic history of underground warfare during the Great War uses personal reminiscences to convey the danger and suspense of this unconventional form of conflict. He describes how the underground soldiers of the opposing armies engaged in a ruthless fight for supremacy, covers the tunnelling methods they employed, and shows the increasingly lethal tactics they developed during the war in which military mining reached its apotheosis. He concentrates on the struggle for ascendancy by the British tunnelling companies on the Western Front. But his wide-ranging study also tells the story of the little known but fascinating subterranean battles fought in the French sectors of the Western Front and between the Austrians and the Italians in the Alps which have never been described before in English. Vivid personal testimony is combined with a lucid account of the technical challenges - and ever-present perils - of tunnelling in order to give an all-round insight into the extraord
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Underground Warfare 1914-1918




The Other Side of the Wire. Volume 1

Ralph J. Whitehead


"The Other Side of the Wire" brings to life a period long forgotten in the decades that have passed since the Great War ended in 1918. Until recently most books written on the Battle of the Somme concentrated almost exclusively on the British effort with only a brief mention of the period before 1 July 1916 and the German experience in the battle. Most simply ignore the nearly two years of warfare that preceded the momentous offensive. By focusing on one of the principal German formations involved in the Somme fighting, author Ralph Whitehead brings to life this little-known period, from the initial German advance on the Somme in September 1914 through the formation of the front that became so well known almost two years later. - Ralph Whitehead is a member of the Plugstreet Project Team.


No Labour, No Battle: The Labour Corps in the First World War

John Starling & Ivor Lee


From 1917 British Soldiers who were unfit or too old for front line service were to serve unarmed and within the range of German guns for weeks or even months at a time undertaking labouring tasks. The vital, yet largely unreported role played by these brave soldiers was crucial to achieving victory in 1918. For this book John Starling and Ivor Lee have brought together extensive research from both primary and secondary sources. It traces how Military Labour developed from non-existent in 1914, to a Corps in November 1918 some 350,000 strong, supported by Dominion and foreign labour of more than a million men. The majority of the Labour Corps did not keep war diaries, therefore this work provides vital information for those wishing to acquire information about an ancestor who served in the Corps.


Tea, Rum and Fags: Sustaining Tommy 1914-1918

Alan Weeks


It is said that 'an army marches on its stomach', but histories of the First World War usually concentrate on its political and military aspects. The gargantuan task of keeping the British Expeditionary Force fed and watered is often overlooked, yet without adequate provision the soldiers would never have been able to fight. Tommy couldn't get enough tea, rum or fags, yet his commanders sent him bully beef and dog biscuits. But it was amazing how 2 million men did not usually go short of nourishment, although parcels from home, canteens and estaminets had a lot to do with that. Incredibly, Tommy could be in a civilised town supping, beer, wine, egg and chips, and a few hours later making do with bully beef in a water-filled trench. Alan Weeks examines how the army got its food and drink and what it was like.


The Steel of the DLI (2nd Bn 1914/18)

John Sheen


Sheen's history has all of the insight and detail we have come to expect of modern scholarship, drawing deeply on official, regimental and private records. With many excellent photographs, most of which will not have been seen before, and lacing the battalion's history with the stories of individual officers and men, he takes us through the whole war from the battalion's first searing experiences on the Aisne, right through to the honour of advancing into Germany as part of the army of occupation. In between, the 1915 nightmares of Hooge, the latter stages of the Somme, Hill 70, Cambrai and ceaseless engagement in 1918. The story also brings out how the nature of the battalion inevitably changed, from wholly regular through mostly volunteer to conscript, yet managed to maintain an ethos and professional air throughout.


Machine-Guns and the Great War

Paul Cornish


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Machine-Guns and the Great War




Messines 1917

Alexander Turner


Osprey Campaign book exploring the Battle of Messines. At 0310 hours on 7 June 1917, the pre-dawn gloom on the Western Front was shattered by the 'pillars of fire' - the rapid detonation of 19 huge mines, secreted in tunnels under the German lines and containing 450 tonnes of explosives. Admitted by the Germans to be a 'masterstroke', the devastating blasts caused 10,000 soldiers to later be posted simply as 'missing'. Launching a pre-planned attack into the carnage, supported by tanks and a devastating artillery barrage, the British took the strategic objective of Messines Ridge within hours. A rare example of innovation and success in the First World War, this book is a fresh and timely examination of a fascinating campaign.
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Messines 1917




The Attack of the British Ninth Corps at Messines Ridge (1917)

The War Department





Beneath Hill 60 [DVD]


BENEATH HILL 60 tells the extraordinary true story of Oliver Woodward, the legendary Australian metal scientist. In 1916, Woodward faced the most difficult decision, ultimately having to separate from his new young love for the deadly carnage of the Western Front. On treacherous territory, behind the German enemy lines, Woodward and his secret platoon of Australian tunnelers face a suicidal battle to defend a leaking, tunnel system. A tunnel packed with enough high explosives to change the course of the War.
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Beneath Hill 60 [DVD]




Artillery Operations of the Ninth British Corps at Messines, June 1917

Army War College (U.S.)





Hill 60: Ypres (Battleground Europe)

Nigel Cave


The shell-ravaged landscape of Hill 60, some three miles south east of Ypres, conceals a labyrinth of tu nnels and underground workings. This book offers a guide to the memorials, cemeteries and museums at the site '


New Zealand and the Great War: A Photographic Record of New Zealanders at War 1914-1918

Glyn Harper


They shall not grow old...In 1914, despite being forbidden, many a Kiwi soldier's kitbag included a portable camera, known as 'The Soldiers' Kodak'. In a major research project, Glyn Harper and the Queen Elizabeth II Army Memorial Museum have combined official war photographs with more informal images to produce a moving visual history. While primarily drawn from the Museum's collection, many photographs from private sources have been included. From more than 25,000 photographs, just over 800 have been selected - most of which have never been published. Chosen to depict each theatre of the 1914-18 war, including Gallipoli, Sinai-Palestine and the Western Front, poignant images from the home front are also included, along with graphic portraits of wounded soldiers, whose treatment marked the beginnings of modern plastic surgery. Despite the First World War being described as the most important and far-reaching political and military event of the twentieth century, pivotal in forging our


Beneath Hill 60 [Paperback]

Will Davies


'Ten seconds, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one - fire! Down goes the firing switch. At first, nothing. Then from deep down there comes a low rumble, and it as if the world is spliting apart...' On 7th June 1917, nineteen massive mines exploded beneath Messines Ridge near Ypres. The largest man-made explosion in history up until that point shattered the landscape and smashed open the German lines. Ten thousand German soldiers died. Two of the mines - at Hill 60 and the Caterpillar - were fired by men of the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company, comprising miners and engineers rather than parade-ground soldiers. Drawing on the diaries of one of the key combatants, "Benealth Hill 60" tells the little-known, devastatingly brutal true story of this subterranean war waged beneath the Western Front - a stygian battle-ground where men drowned in viscous chalk, suffocated in the blue gray clay, choked on poisonous air or died in the darkness, caught up up in vicious hand-to-han
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Beneath Hill 60 [Paperback]




Border Regiment in the Great War

Col. H. C. Wylly


Tightly written regimental history of the Border Regiment in the Great War, which blends the story of its 13 battalions in six theatres of war into one continuous narrative. lllustrated by 14 photographic plates and seven maps.


Diary of 2/4th Battalion the Border Regiment, 1914-19


Reproduction of a book published before 1923


Lander's War: The War Diaries of Lt. Charles Herbert Lander 10th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

Charles Herbert Lander


Charles Lander, had to wait until the chest measurement was reduced before he could apply as a private soldier with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Upon his commission, Charles was to serve in the 10th Battalion which was a part of 57th Brigade, 19th (Western) Division. Read on, and let Charles take you into the tumultuous world of the Great War, where moments of comedy, low points and sheer terror combine; and wonder as to how humans could endure, go home and live again in everyday society. Lt. Charles Herbert Lander truly had the skill to pull back the curtains on the window of time; with his words, he will take you to the now quiet fields of France and Flanders, now transformed from the most dangerous places on Earth to their former rural peace. He tells us how it was and who were the players in the great game, as they appear and all too often disappear from these pages.


Mud, Blood and Bullets: Memoirs of a Machine Gunner on the Western Front.

Edward Rowbotham


It is 1915 and the Great War has been raging for a year, when Edward Rowbotham, a coal miner from the Midlands, volunteers for Kitchener's Army. Drafted into the newly-formed Machine Gun Corps, he is sent to fight in places whose names will forever be associated with mud and blood and sacrifice: Ypres, the Somme, and Passchendaele. He is one of the 'lucky' ones, winning the Military Medal for bravery and surviving more than two-and-a-half years of the terrible slaughter that left nearly a million British soldiers dead by 1918 and wiped out all but six of his original company. He wrote these memoirs fifty years later, but found his memories of life in the trenches had not diminished at all. The sights and sounds of battle, the excitement, the terror, the extraordinary comradeship, are all vividly described as if they had happened to him only yesterday. Likely to be one of the last first-hand accounts to come to light, Mud, Blood and Bullets offers a rare perspective of the First World W


Durham Pals: 18th, 19th, 20th and 22nd Battalions of the Durham Light Infantry in the Great War

John Sheen


The Durham Pals were the volunteer Geordie battalions of the Durham Light Infantry raised in the north-east in the Great War. The 18th Durhams had the proud distinction of being the first unit of Kitchener's New Armies to come under enemy fire before even leaving Blighty when German ships shelled Hartlepool in December 1914. The 19th were raised as Bantams ( men blow the minimum height requirement) ; the 20th (Wearside) hailed from Sunderland; while the 22nd was the last raised - and fought through the hard battles of 1918. After their baptism of fire while training in Hartlepool, the 18th were seriously blooded on July 1st 1916 as the battle of the Somme opened, when they fought in support of the Leeds and Bradford Pals. After fighting in the successful Messines offensive in June 1917 the 20th were sent to the Italian front; while the 19th distinguished themselves in Flanders during the final Allied advance of 1918. This book pay tribute to them all.


A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918

G. J. Meyer


The First World War is one of history’s greatest tragedies. In this remarkable and intimate account, author G. J. Meyer draws on exhaustive research to bring to life the story of how the Great War reduced Europe’s mightiest empires to rubble, killed twenty million people, and cracked the foundations of the world we live in today.


Flying for France

James R. McConnell


This a fun aviation story detailing the day-to-day adventures of a young American pilot who volunteered to join the French air force at the beginning of World War I. There were several Americans who did this, as America was not directly involved in the war, and the French military assembled them all together in an Escadrille (squadron). The trials of day to day flight using Nieuport fabric and wood airplanes, fighting German Bosches and Fokkers, are all charmingly explored in this short, easy read.
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Flying for France




World War I

Simon Adams


Packed with photos on every double-page spread and dense with facts and snippets of analysis, this large-size volume in the Eyewitness series provides a quick, informative overview of WWI: how it started; who fought and why; the equipment used; what it was like in the trenches and at home; the horrific final cost. Even seasoned Web browsers accustomed to busy formats may sometimes feel bombarded by all the bits and pieces, especially when the tiny type is printed over colored pictures. It's the dramatic photos (many from London's Imperial War Museum) that will make readers pause and bring them close to the soldiers' experiences. Then there's John Singer Sargent's realistic painting Gassed, showing blinded soldiers led by their sighted colleagues toward a dressing station in northern France in 1918
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World War I




To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918

Adam Hochschild


World War I stands as one of history’s most senseless spasms of carnage, defying rational explanation. In a riveting, suspenseful narrative with haunting echoes for our own time, Adam Hochschild brings it to life as never before. He focuses on the long-ignored moral drama of the war’s critics, alongside its generals and heroes. Thrown in jail for their opposition to the war were Britain’s leading investigative journalist, a future winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, and an editor who, behind bars, published a newspaper for his fellow inmates on toilet paper. These critics were sometimes intimately connected to their enemy hawks: one of Britain’s most prominent women pacifist campaigners had a brother who was commander in chief on the Western Front. Two well-known sisters split so bitterly over the war that they ended up publishing newspapers that attacked each other.


Hard as Nails: The Sportsmen's Battalion of World War One

Michael Foley


This is the history of the Sportsmen's Battalion, Royal Fusiliers 23rd service battalion, which consisted almost entirely of men from the world of sport or entertainment. The battalion was privately raised and took men up to the age of 45. The battalion included a champion boxer, cricketers, footballers, MPs and the author John Chessire. They were men who did not need to serve in the First World War but had an unquestioning sense of duty. The history is enhanced by the letters and drawings by John Chessire, giving a first-hand account of their experiences. A man from the upper classes, a writer, poet and artist, he chose to serve as a private so he could do his duty, even when it conflicted with his religious beliefs and love for his family. The book covers the battalion's beginnings in London and progression to Hornchurch, France and then Germany. It includes their time at Vimy Ridge, at the Somme and at the Battle for Deville Wood.


In Flanders Fields: And Other Poems of the First World War

Brian Busby


a book that shows the reality of war through the poems of many soldiers who didn't return. Beautifully written.


Poems of the Great War: 1914-1918

Several


Published to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of Armistice, this collection is intended to be an introduction to the great wealth of First World War Poetry. The sequence of poems is random - making it ideal for dipping into - and drawn from a number of sources, mixing both well-known and less familiar poetry. The work of 21 poets is represented: including Rupert Brooke, Robert Graves, Ivor Gurney, Thomas Hardy, Charlotte Mew, Alice Meynell, Wilfred Owen, Herbert Read, Isaac Rosenberg, Siegfried Sassoon and Edward Thomas


Poetry of the First World War

Various


Packed full of analysis and interpretation, historical background, discussions and commentaries, York Notes will help you get right to the heart of the text you’re studying, whether it’s poetry, a play or a novel. You’ll learn all about the historical context of the piece; find detailed discussions of key passages and characters; learn interesting facts about the text; and discover structures, patterns and themes that you may never have known existed. In the Advanced Notes, specific sections on critical thinking, and advice on how to read critically yourself, enable you to engage with the text in new and different ways. Full glossaries, self-test questions and suggested reading lists will help you fully prepare for your exam, while internet links and references to film, TV, theatre and the arts combine to fully immerse you in your chosen text. York Notes offer an exciting and accessible key to your text, enabling you to develop your ideas and transform your studies!
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Poetry of the First World War




York Notes on Poetry of the First World War

Hana Sambrook


The York Notes series continues to be the leading range of GCSE and A-level study guides. If you are a GCSE student this will be invaluable for your coursework/exam preparation, as it covers all of the poems in the 'World War I' section of the AQA poetry anthology. Covering language, structure, form, style and context, amongst other useful exam information; the guide also offers a summary of each poem and some advice on how the poems can be compared. Essential book for students, and a competitive price on here.


Out in the Dark: Poetry of the First World War in Context and with Basic Notes

David Roberts


This anthology, based on "Minds at War" - by same author - has been prepared for the general reader who requires less background information, and for students, including GCSE and A Level. One of mankind's greatest tragedies was the First World War. For over four years whole nations unleashed the full might of their new-found destructive powers. Poets played their part in this war as promoters of it, soldiers, victims and onlookers. Their stories and their responses to their experiences are deeply moving, and their work includes some of the greatest poetry of the 20th Century. Many of the poems in Out in the Dark are currently selected by exam boards. The 19th Century poems, examples of the culture of Empire and militarism, help to explain both the rush to war and the nature of the early poetry of the First World War - 140 poems in all.


Anthem for Doomed Youth

Jon Stallworthy


This is an excellent introduction to the lives and work of twelve poets of WWI, many of whom were killed in action. The book was produced to accompany an exhibition at the Imperial War Museum and is illustrated with many photographs and original manuscripts. The famous are here - Owen and Sassoon- but there are also less well-known names - David Jones and Francis Ledwidge - whose work deserves recognition. I've read some of these poems many times, and I never fail to be moved by "Dulce et decorum est" (Owen), "Anthem for doomed youth" (Owen) and "When you see millions of the mouthless dead" (Sorley). The savagery and sarcasm of "The General" (Sassoon) and the grim humour of "Break of day" (Rosenberg), a meditation on a rat moving between the German and British lines, are also moving. Stallworthy tells the stories of their (mostly) brief lives sparingly, concentrating on the poetry and offering some interesting criticisms and insights. This poetry has influenced our imagery of the Great
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Anthem for Doomed Youth




Journey's End

Robert Cedric Sherriff


Set in the First World War, Journey's End concerns a group of British officers on the front line and opens in a dugout in the trenches in France. Raleigh, a new eighteen-year-old officer fresh out of English public school, joins the besieged company of his friend and cricketing hero Stanhope, and finds him dramatically changed ... Laurence Olivier starred as Stanhope in the first performance of Journey's End in 1928; the play was an instant stage success and remains a remarkable anti-war classic.
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Journey's End




Goodbye to All That

Robert Graves


In 1929 Robert Graves went to live abroad permanently, vowing 'never to make England my home again'. This is his superb account of his life up until that 'bitter leave-taking': from his childhood and desperately unhappy school days at Charterhouse, to his time serving as a young officer in the First World War that was to haunt him throughout his life. It also contains memorable encounters with fellow writers and poets, including Siegfried Sassoon and Thomas Hardy, and covers his increasingly unhappy marriage to Nancy Nicholson. Goodbye to All That, with its vivid, harrowing descriptions of the Western Front, is a classic war document, and also has immense value as one of the most candid self-portraits of an artist ever written. About the Author Robert Ranke Graves (1895-1985) was a British poet, novelist, and critic. He is best known for the historical novel I, Claudius and the critical study of myth and poetry The White Goddess.
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Goodbye to All That




A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918

G.J. Meyer


One only has to look at a few of today's "hotspots" (the Balkans and the Middle East) to realize that World War I's effects remain a determining factor in international relations. It may seem impossible to write an "intimate" account of such a global catastrophe, but Meyer has succeeded in doing just that: a masterful narrative history that eloquently conveys the sense of a civilization engaged in massive self-destruction, while its leaders, blinded by hubris, nationalism, or outright ignorance, led the charge. Although Meyer pays ample attention to the broad themes of causation and military strategies, he consistently reminds us that the war was a compilation of millions of individual tragedies. He captures the horror and futility of trench warfare, the slaughter at Gallipoli, and the genocide of Armenians as experienced by those who were there. Meyer also offers interesting and controversial insights into the motivations of many of the key participants. This is an outstanding survey


The Beauty and the Sorrow: An Intimate History of the First World War

Peter Englund


In this masterly, highly original narrative history, Peter Englund takes a revelatory new approach to the history of World War I, magnifying its least examined, most stirring component: the experiences of the average man and woman—not only the tragedy and horror but also the absurdity and even, at times, the beauty. The twenty people from whose journals and letters Englund draws are from Belgium, Denmark, and France; Great Britain, Germany, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire; Italy, Australia, and New Zealand; Russia, Venezuela, and the United States. There is a young man in the British army infantry who had been considering emigrating until the war offered him its “grand promise of change” and a middle-aged French civil servant, a socialist and writer whose “faith simply crumbled” at the outbreak of war. There is a twelve-year-old German girl thrilled with the news of the army’s victories because it means that she and her classmates are allowed to shout and scream at school. There i


The First World War


In a riveting narrative that puts diaries, letters and action reports to good use, British military historian Keegan (The Face of Battle, etc.) delivers a stunningly vivid history of the Great War. He is equally at easeAand equally generous and sympatheticAprobing the hearts and minds of lowly soldiers in the trenches or examining the thoughts and motivations of leaders (such as Joffre, Haig and Hindenburg) who directed the maelstrom. In the end, Keegan leaves us with a brilliant, panoramic portrait of an epic struggle that was at once noble and futile, world-shaking and pathetic. The war was unnecessary, Keegan writes, because the train of events that led to it could have been derailed at any time, "had prudence or common goodwill found a voice." And it was tragic, consigning 10 million to their graves, destroying "the benevolent and optimistic culture" of Europe and sowing the seeds of WWII. While Niall Ferguson's The Pity of War (Forecasts, Mar. 8) offers a revisionist, economic int
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The First World War




A Coward If I Return, a Hero If I Fall: Stories of Irish Soldiers in World War I

Neil Richardson


IRELAND'S FORGOTTEN LEGACY In 1914-1918, two hundred thousand Irishmen from all religions and backgrounds went to war. At least thirty-five thousand never came home. Those that did were scarred for the rest of their lives. Many of these survivors found themselves abandoned and ostracised by their countrymen, their voices seldom heard. The book includes: * The Irish soldier firing the first shot * The first Victoria Cross * Leading the way at Gallipoli and the Somme * North and South fighting side by side at Messines Ridge * Ireland's flying aces * Brothers-in-arms -- heart-rending stories of family sacrifice * The lucky escapes of some; the tragic end of others * The homecoming -- why there was no hero's welcome


The Complete Idiot's Guide to World War I

Alan Axelrod Ph.D.


For history buffs, students, and anyone interested in the 20th century, this book reveals why World War I began, explores the "guns of August," describes the horrors of trench warfare and the first uses of poison gas, and explains why the Americans were so slow to enter the war. From the eastern front to the west, from Gallipoli to the Marne, from the Lafayette Escadrillo to Lawrence of Arabia, the book tells the whole story of "the war to end all wars."


The Eastern Front 1914 - 1920 (History of World War I)

Michael Neiberg David Jordan


Recreates the battles and campaigns that raged at The Eastern Front during World War I Updated for 2012 with a new foreward by Dennis Showalter The front in the East was much longer than in the West. The theatre of war was delimited by the Baltic Sea in the West and Moscow in the East, a distance of 1,200kms, and Saint Petersburg in the North and the Black Sea in the South, a distance of more than 1,600kms. While World War I on the Western Front developed into trench warfare, the battle lines on the Eastern Front were much more fluid; trenches never truly developed. The greater length of the front ensured that the density of soldiers in the line was lower so the line was easier to break. Once broken, the sparse communication networks made it difficult for the defender to rush reinforcements to the rupture in the line, to mount a counteroffensive and seal off a breakthrough. Also, the terrain in the Eastern European theatre was quite solid, often making it near impossible to construct a


To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War

Jeff Shaara


Moving on from the American Revolution and the Civil War, Shaara (The Glorious Cause, etc.) delivers an epic account of the American experience in WWI. As usual, he narrates from the perspective of actual historical figures, moving from the complexity of high-level politics and diplomacy to the romance of the air fight and the horrors of trench warfare. Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing commands all American forces in France in 1917–1918 and must prepare his army for a new kind of war while resisting French and British efforts to absorb his troops into their depleted, worn-out units. Two aviators, American Raoul Lufbery and German Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron) fly primitive aircraft in an air war that introduces new ways to die. And Pvt. Roscoe Temple, U.S. Marine Corps, fights with rifle and bayonet in the mud and blood of Belleau Wood and the Argonne Forest. These men and a supporting cast of other real-life characters provide a gruesomely graphic portrayal of the brutality


Wipers: A Soldier's Tale From the Great War

Jeff Simmons


The World War One battlefield that bulged out around Ypres, Belgium, was one of the most horrific killing grounds of the bloody, four-year conflict. Not familiar with the proper pronunciation of "Ypres," (EE-pruh), the Allied soldiers called the sector "Wipers." The Allies took thousands of casualties daily there from 1914 to 1918. Unable to break the German line, a plan was made to dig 5 miles of tunnels under No Man's Land, planting charges, and blowing up the enemy from below. This novel follows a British miner-turned-soldier and his unlikely companion: a mischievous, wisecracking soldier who was a magician in civilian life and joined the army under shady circumstances. Their struggle to survive is often tragic, yet often humorous. The story climaxes with the tunnel attack and the shocking aftermath. Ultimately, it shows war is not glorious; it ruins lives, even among those who survive.


The Guns of August

Barbara W. Tuchman


Historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Barbara Tuchman has brought to life again the people and events that led up to World War I. With attention to fascinating detail, and an intense knowledge of her subject and its characters, Ms. Tuchman reveals, for the first time, just how the war started, why, and why it could have been stopped but wasn't. A classic historical survey of a time and a people we all need to know more about, The Guns of August will not be forgotten.
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The Guns of August




The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War

Hew Strachan


This illustrated history is an outstanding summary of current scholarship on the war that was supposed to end all wars. Nearly two dozen contributors write smart and accessible essays on a range of subjects, including the military strategies of the Allies and the Central Powers, the war at sea, economic mobilization, politics on the home front, and the peace settlement. The chapters are full of intelligent insights. John Morrow, writing on the air war, notes that fighter pilots became "the ultimate heroes of the First World War" because their feats of individual combat could be easily romanticized, in contrast to the mass slaughter taking place in the trenches below.


The Myth of the Great War: A New Military History of World War I

John Mosier


Mosier (English, Loyola Univ.) offers a scathing indictment of the Allied military mindset that caused so many senseless deaths on the Western Front during the Great War. For example, Mosier argues that it took the slaughter of thousands of infantrymen before the British and French commands tried to use artillery as an effective offensive weapon. Even then, Allied artillery bombardments never matched their opponents' effective use of heavy-caliber howitzers. Mosier points out that from the very beginning the German General Staff attempted to minimize losses by making firepower central to its offensive tactics. Consequently, German casualties were half those of the Allies. Blind adherence to antiquated military doctrines is not a new criticism of Allied generalship, but Mosier's original scholarship does offer a fresh perspective on an old theme. Recommended for public and academic libraries with strong military history collections.


Adventures of a Motorcycle Despatch Rider During the First World War

W.H.L. Watson


The Battle of Mons, The Battle of le Cateau, The Great Retreat, Over the Marne to the Aisne, The Battle of the Aisne, The Move to the North, Round la AssÉe, The Beginning of Winter 1914, St Jans Cappel, Behind the Lines


The Marne, 1914: The Opening of World War I and the Battle That Changed the World

Holger H. Herwig


It is one of the essential events of military history, a cataclysmic encounter that prevented a quick German victory in World War I and changed the course of two wars and the world. Now, for the first time in a generation, here is a bold new account of the Battle of the Marne. A landmark work by a distinguished scholar, The Marne, 1914 gives, for the first time, all sides of the story. In remarkable detail, and with exclusive information based on newly unearthed documents, Holger H. Herwig superbly re-creates the dramatic battle, revealing how the German force was foiled and years of brutal trench warfare were made inevitable. Herwig brilliantly reinterprets Germany’s aggressive “Schlieffen Plan”–commonly considered militarism run amok–as a carefully crafted, years-in-the-making design to avoid a protracted war against superior coalitions. He also paints a new portrait of the run-up to the Marne: the Battle of the Frontiers, long thought a coherent assault but really a series of hap


World War I: Contains a 16-Page Guide to WWI Battlefields and Memorials

H. P. Willmott


beautifully produced and illustrated, an everything you need to know compendium


Murder At Zero Hour

Paul Westwood


Author's Note: The idea of a murder occurring during the middle of a war seemed like an interesting idea to pursue. I chose The Great War since it has a level of brutality that was unparalleled until later wars. Research for this novel was particularly dreadful since the war seemed so senseless. With that in mind, I had my character lose much, but still gain something in return for his sacrifices
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Murder At Zero Hour




The War to End All Wars: World War I

Russell Freedman


Nonfiction master Russell Freedman illuminates for young readers the complex and rarely discussed subject of World War I. The tangled relationships and alliances of many nations, the introduction of modern weaponry, and top-level military decisions that resulted in thousands upon thousands of casualties all contributed to the "great war," which people hoped and believed would be the only conflict of its kind. In this clear and authoritative account, the author shows the ways in which the seeds of a second world war were sown in the first. Numerous archival photographs give the often disturbing subject matter a moving visual counterpart. Includes source notes, a bibliography, and an index.


LETTERS FROM VERDUN: Frontline Experiences of an American Volunteer in World War 1 France

Avery Wolfe


A beautifully written and fully illustrated experience of the Great War from a participant . . .Though the United States was late to enter the Great War, a number of idealistic young Americans wished to take part from the beginning. One of these was Avery Royce Wolf, a highly educated scion of a family in America's burgeoning industrial heartland.Volunteering as an ambulance driver with the French Army in the Verdun sector, Royce sent back a constant stream of highly detailed letters describing the experience of frontline combat, not excluding comments on strategy, the country he encountered, and the Allies' prospects for success. This treasure trove of brilliant letters, only recently discovered, is accompanied by several albums worth of rare, high-quality photos depicting aspects of the Great War in France never previously published. The book contains expert overviews to set the reader in Royce's time and place; however, the narrative is most gripping with his own day-to-day percepti


New York Times Current History: The European War from the Beginning to March 1915, Vol 1, No. 2 Who Began the War, and Why?

Various


This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.


Eye-Deep in Hell: Trench Warfare in World War I

John Ellis


Millions of men lived in the trenches during World War I. More than six million died there. In Eye-Deep in Hell, the author explores this unique and terrifying world—the rituals of battle, the habits of daily life, and the constant struggle of men to find meaning amid excruciating boredom and the specter of impending death.


Faces of World War I: The Great War in Words and Pictures

Max Arthur & Ian Hislop


This magnificent commemorative volume traces the tragedy of the Great War in words and pictures. Best-selling author Max Arthur brilliantly conveys not only the heroism, but also the universal horror, futility, absurdity and boredom of early 20th-century warfare. From the frontline troops and the daily dance with death, to the support lines, communications, enlistment, training, and propaganda, the story of the war is illustrated with over 200 images that have been handpicked from the world famous collection of the Imperial War Museum in London. Every aspect of the soldier's life is covered in this brilliant collection of images and eyewitness accounts that bring the Great War to life once more.


Where Poppies Grow: A World War I Companion

Linda Granfield


When World War I began in 1914, no one knew that millions of young people would die in the agonizing years ahead. No one imagined the effect it would have on family life, or that whole villages would disappear, or that entire nations would be changed forever. They believed their sons and daughters, mothers and fathers would be home by Christmas. They were tragically mistaken. With photos, memorabilia, and anecdotes, Linda Granfield brings us face-to-face with people from all walks of life who risked everything for their country. These painstakingly-gathered bits and pieces are remnants of conflict on a scale never before witnessed. Hastily-penned letters, notes written in code, and prayers for deliverance form an eloquent portrait of humanity, and a startling comment on the devastation of war.


Hell in the Holy Land: World War 1 in the Middle East

David R. Woodward


In the modern popular imagination, the British Army's campaign in the Middle East during World War I is considered somehow less brutal than the fighting on European battlefields. A romantic view of this conflict has been further encouraged by such films as Lawrence of Arabia and The Light Horsemen. In Hell in the Holy Land, David R. Woodward uses graphic eyewitness accounts from the diaries, letters, and memoirs of British soldiers who fought in that war to describe in rigorous detail the genuine experience of the fighting and dying in Egypt and Palestine. The massive flow of troops and equipment to Egypt eventually made that country host to the largest British military base outside of Britain and France. Though many soldiers found the atmosphere in Cairo exotic, the desert countryside made the fundamentals of fighting and troop maintenance extremely difficult. The intense heat frequently sickened soldiers, and unruly camels were the only practical means of transport across the soft sa





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