The Other Side of the Trench: The Spirit of War (Paperback or Softback)

This story deserves to be told. Garry Willmott creates graphic and quite horrifying insights into unseen and 'unsung' aspects of World War 1, where so many Australian, Canadian, British, New Zealander, American and French soldiers were slaughtered and still, today, lie uninterred in forgotten furrows of French fields. The author tells this story in a simple direct style which has an immediate impact. Garry Willmott's ancestors are among those who lost their lives fighting against the Kaiser's Juggernaut. The characters of the soldiers come to life and even in death, their spirits are revived in the telling. The courage of our soldiers and their betrayal by British Generals moves the reader to sorrow and to anger as we witness not only the terrible personal suffering of the soldiers, but also the long-term effects upon families left behind. 'Garry, it's only in the last week or so I've had the time to sit down with a glass or two of red and read a few books, including yours... a personal and moving account Garry, I've read quite a few similar books in my time, all telling deeply personal accounts of courage and tragedy, real stories about real human beings in unimaginably horrific situations, and yours ranks with the best of them. I wonder if many of those WWI generals slept all that soundly after the war was over...' Kind regards, Eric Bogle Songwriter of 'And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda'