Life, Death, and Growing Up on the Western Front

Nonfiction, History, Military, World War I, Modern, 20th Century, Biography & Memoir, Historical
Cover of the book Life, Death, and Growing Up on the Western Front by Anthony Fletcher, Yale University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Anthony Fletcher ISBN: 9780300198560
Publisher: Yale University Press Publication: October 28, 2013
Imprint: Yale University Press Language: English
Author: Anthony Fletcher
ISBN: 9780300198560
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication: October 28, 2013
Imprint: Yale University Press
Language: English

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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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.

More books from Yale University Press

Cover of the book Talent Wants to Be Free by Anthony Fletcher
Cover of the book La Vida Doble by Anthony Fletcher
Cover of the book Why the Romantics Matter by Anthony Fletcher
Cover of the book When the Sun Bursts by Anthony Fletcher
Cover of the book Battle Tactics of the Western Front by Anthony Fletcher
Cover of the book Hemlock by Anthony Fletcher
Cover of the book Why Niebuhr Matters by Anthony Fletcher
Cover of the book On the Trail by Anthony Fletcher
Cover of the book Francis of Assisi by Anthony Fletcher
Cover of the book Spaceflight in the Shuttle Era and Beyond by Anthony Fletcher
Cover of the book Contemporary Controversies in Psychoanalytic Theory, Techniques, and Their Appli by Anthony Fletcher
Cover of the book The I. L. Peretz Reader by Anthony Fletcher
Cover of the book Is Entrepreneurship Dead? by Anthony Fletcher
Cover of the book The Great Partition by Anthony Fletcher
Cover of the book Initiative to Stop the Violence by Anthony Fletcher
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy