Product Description: The outbreak of war in 1914 was greeted with euphoria by many in Europe, and it was widely believed that the conflict would be "over by Christmas." In the event, millions of men were destined to spend the first of four seasons away from their families and loved ones...read more

J.Ivor Hanson’s personal diary describes his experiences as a gunner on the Western Front in the First World War, which left a deep and lasting impression on him. He wrote about the officers and men with whom he served, and the horror and humor of trench life – all subjects of Hanson’s intense scrutiny and incisive wit. He vividly describes the German Army’s crushing Spring Offensive in March 1918, when the British Army on the Western Front was almost pushed back to the Channel coast. Imperial War Museum historian Alan Wakefield has edited the diaries and provides engaging explanatory narratives for each chapter to set them within the context of the First World War.