Britain’s Last Tommies: Final Memories from Soldiers of the 1914-18 War - In Their Own Words - Softcover

Van Emden, Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 147386089X ISBN 13: 9781473860896

Publisher: Pen and Sword Military, 2017

Synopsis

On the centenary of the Great War, there are now no longer any veterans alive of the six million men who served on the Western Front. Although this means that the Great War as a living history is to all intents and purposes over, the twenty years Richard van Emden spent interviewing and carefully recording the memories of over 270 veterans, makes this extraordinary collection of stories even more poignant.

As well as stories told by the veterans themselves, Richard has also included his own memories of these remarkable men: the remarkable, the sad, the funny, the moving. The book also features an outstanding collection of photographs taken of the veterans as soldiers during the war, together with recent images of almost all of them, taken at home, back on the Western Front or at the final veterans' reunion.

Britain's Last Tommies is the author’s personal tribute to a unique list of veterans, all of whom individually held the poignant title of being the last Gallipoli veteran, the last Royal Flying Corps veteran, the last Distinguished Conduct Medal holder, the last cavalryman and the last Prisoner of War.

About this title

About the Author:

Richard van Emden interviewed 270 veterans of the Great War, has written extensively about the soldiers' lives, and has worked on many television documentaries, always concentrating on the human aspects of war, its challenge and its cost to the millions of men involved. Richard van Emden’s books have sold over 660,000 copies and have appeared in The Times’ bestseller chart on a number of occasions. He has also worked on more than a dozen television programmes on the Great War, including the award-winning Roses of No Man’s Land, Britain’s Boy Soldiers, A Poem for Harry, War Horse: the Real Story, Teenage Tommies with Fergal Keane and most recently, Hidden Histories: WW1’s Forgotten Photographs. He lives in London.

Review:

"Richard Van Emden spent 20 years interviewing over 270 First World War veterans. As well as their memories of the war, he includes his own reflection from getting to know these men - the sad, the funny and the poignant." (Who Do You Think You Are?)

About this edition

• Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 147386089X
• ISBN 13: 9781473860896
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 340