The British Soldier of the First World War (Shire Library)

Professor Peter Doyle

ISBN 10: 0747806837 / ISBN 13: 9780747806837

Published by Shire Publications Ltd, 2008

About this Item

Explores the life of the average British 'Tommy' of the Great War, in battle and at rest, in training, and on his return home. Illustrated with evocative images of the war, and items of the soldier's kit, this book provides an answer to the question: What was it like to be a soldier in the trenches on the front line? Series: Shire Library. Num Pages: 56 pages, Illustrations (chiefly col.). BIC Classification: 1DBK; 3JJF; HBJD1; HBWN; JWT. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 156 x 150 x 4. Weight in Grams: 134. 2008. Paperback. . . . .

Seller Inventory # 9780747806837

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The British Soldier of the First World War (Shire Library)
• Publisher: Shire Publications Ltd
• Publication Date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0747806837
• ISBN 13: 9780747806837
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

The First World War affected the lives of a whole generation of people in Britain and the Commonwealth. Most people living today will have an ancestor who fought or died in the conflict, and as the 90th anniversary of the conclusion of the war approaches, there has been a rush of people trying to trace their ancestors and understand what life for them was like during World War I.

While the familiar images - the photographs, film, poetry and prose of the First World War focus on the hellish trenches, mud and death, there is another dimension to the soldiers life in the war - that of everyday life at the front. The Tommy was only in the trenches for at most one-quarter of his time overseas, and when away from the front, vigorous routine, training and order soon took over. Peter Doyle addresses this, describing the lives of British soldiers while not in the trenches at the front, exploring the life of the average soldier of the First World War and answering the question: what was it really like to be a soldier in the trenches on the frontline.

About the Author

Peter Doyle is a scientist and military historian specializing in the role of terrain in warfare. His books include: Tommy's War 1914-1918; Beneath Flanders Fields: The Underground War 1914-18 and Grasping Gallipoli. He is co-secretary of the All Party Parliamentary War Graves and Battlefield Heritage Group, and is an elected member of the British Commission for Military History. He lives in London.