Title: Life, death and growing up on the western front /
Authors: Fletcher, Anthony.
Year: 2013
Subjects: Great Britain. History; Great Britain. Military life History; Great Britain.; World War, 1914-1918 Social aspects Great Britain; World War, 1914-1918 Social aspects Europe, Western.; World War, 1914-1918 Personal narratives, British.; Soldiers Great Britain Correspondence
Abstract: "This book was inspired by the author's discovery of an extraordinary cache of letters from a soldier who was killed on the Western Front during the First World War. The soldier was his grandfather, and the letters had been tucked away, unread and unmentioned for many decades. Intrigued by the heartbreak and history of these family letters, Fletcher sought out the correspondence of other British soldiers who had volunteered for the fight against Germany. This resulting volume offers a vivid account of the physical and emotional experiences of seventeen British soldiers--both officers and 'Tommies'--whose letters survive. Fletcher explores the training, journey to France, fear, shellshock and life in the trenches as well as the leisure, love and home leave the soldiers dreamed of. He also discusses the psychological responses of 18- and 19-year-old men facing appalling realities, and considers the particular pressures on those who survived their fallen comrades. While acknowledging the horror the soldiers of the Great War experienced, this book reveals another side to the story--the loyal comradeship, robust humour, and strong morale that uplifted the men at the Front and created a powerful bond among them."--book jacket.
Contents: Quite earnest faces: the national cause -- Glad to go: patiotic idealism -- Ready to go: training -- Write as often as you can: letters and parcels -- Sticking it out: fear and shell shock -- A certain sense of safety with him: leadership -- Such a helpless lot of babes: care for the men -- Drops of his blood on my hand: horror and endurance -- I merely did my duty: discipline and morale -- Very gallant in every way: early losses -- Blighty, or blighty in about a week: leave -- I am serene, unafraid: the Somme -- Capable of finishing the job: battles of 1917-1918 -- The men cannot grasp it: armistice -- We will remember them: remembrance and commemoration -- All the best and choicest and unblemished: war heroes -- Among the happiest years I have ever spent: survivors -- Epilogue: the Great War in perspective.