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 whose letters survive. Drawn from different regiments, social backgrounds, and areas of England and Scotland, they include twelve officers and five ordinary “Tommies.”   The book 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. Fletcher discusses the psychological responses of 17- and 18-year-old men facing appalling realities and considers the particular pressures on those who survived their fallen comrades. While acknowledging the horror and futility the soldiers of the Great War experienced, the author shows another side to the story, focusing new attention on the loyal comradeship, robust humor, and strong morale that uplifted the men at the Front and created a powerful bond among them.

Product Description: The First World War is usually believed to have had a catastrophic effect on British art, killing artists and movements, and creating a mood of belligerent philistinism around the nation. In this book, however, James Fox paints a very different picture of artistic life in wartime Britain...read more

With contributions by Lau, K.-L.; Tam, K.-F.; Trost, B.M.; Wong, H.N.C.

Product Description: A powerful and moving portrait of a nation under stress, Back in Blighty examines what life was like back at home while WWI was being fought in the trenches.      World War One had a devastating, cataclysmic impact on the world and the British people...read more

Product Description: This book challenges scholarship which presents charity and voluntary activity during World War I as marking a downturn from the high point of the late Victorian period. Charitable donations rose to an all-time peak, and the scope and nature of charitable work shifted decisively...read more

Product Description: British children were mobilised for total war in 1914-18. It dominated their school experience and they enjoyed it as a source of entertainment. Their support was believed to be vital for Britain's present and future but their participation was motivated by a desire to remain connected to their absent fathers and brothers...read more

Award-winning author Adam Hochschild explores the First World War with a particular focus on the conflict between the critics and the supporters of the war.

Product Description: This authoritative, engaging and accessible title covers the experience of warfare in Britain and the social and political effects it had in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It examines major questions such as:- What was the impact of the Crimean War?- What was the impact of the Second Boer War?- What was the experience of war on the Western Front?- What was the impact of the First World War on the Home Front?Throughout the book, key dates, terms and issues are highlighted, and historical interpretations of key debates are outlined...read more

Product Description: Exploring how understandings of masculinity were constructed by British First World war servicemen through examination of their personal narratives, including letters home from the front and wartime diaries. This book presents a nuanced investigation of masculine identity in Britain during and after the First World War...read more