Great-Uncle Harry By Michael Palin, Now Then A Biography of Yorkshire By Rick Broadbent 2 Books Collection Set

by Michael Palin, Rick Broadbent

Please Note That The Following Individual Books As Per Original ISBN and Cover Image In this Listing shall be Dispatched Great-Uncle Harry By Michael Palin, Now Then A Biography of Yorkshire By Rick Broadbent 2 Books Collection Now A Biography of Now Then is a biographical mosaic of Yorkshire. Rick Broadbent, an award-wining author and exiled Yorkshireman, goes in search of the soul of England's biggest county and produces an all-encompassing portrait of a place that has been victimised and stereotyped since the days of Williams the Conqueror. Incorporating social history, memoir, reportage and author interviews, Now Then paints a picture of what it means to be from Yorkshire. Great-Uncle A Tale of War and Michael Palin recreates the extraordinary life and tragic death of a First World War soldier—his great-uncle Harry.Some years ago a stash of family records was handed down to Michael Palin, among which were photos of an enigmatic young man in army uniform, as well as photos of the same young man as a teenager looking uncomfortable at family gatherings. This, Michael learned, was his Great-Uncle Harry, born in 1884, died in 1916.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, War, World War I, Travel, Audiobook

784 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Sir Michael Edward Palin, KCMG, CBE, FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries.

Palin wrote most of his material with Terry Jones. Before Monty Python, they had worked on other shows such as The Ken Dodd Show, The Frost Report and Do Not Adjust Your Set. Palin appeared in some of the most famous Python sketches, including "The Dead Parrot", "The Lumberjack Song", "The Spanish Inquisition" and "Spam". Palin continued to work with Jones, co-writing Ripping Yarns. He has also appeared in several films directed by fellow Python Terry Gilliam and made notable appearances in other films such as A Fish Called Wanda, for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted the 30th favourite by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

After Python, he began a new career as a travel writer. His journeys have taken him across the world, the North and South Poles, the Sahara desert, the Himalayas and most recently, Eastern Europe. In 2000 Palin became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to television.

Reviews

[Iain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating glimpse into the Palin family history, and a poignant reminder of the cruelty of a war which took the lives of so many young men, and the horror of trench warfare. Palin writes in his customary thoughtful style and there are still hints at humour to be found.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Palin is the member of the Monty Python team who irritates me the least. He has become more widely known for his travelogue TV programmes, starting with his attempt to emulate Phileas Fogg and travel around the world in eighty days. There has been a multiplicity of these since, including a visit to North Korea. He is also a fairly prolific writer, with books to accompany all his travel programmes and several volumes of diaries.
This is a little different as Palin delves into the history of his family: specifically his great-uncle Harry who died in action in September 1916 on the Somme. Henry William Bourne Palin (Harry) was born in 1884, making him 32 when he died. Palin had a limited amount of information to work with, his ancestor wasn’t of any significance and records are scarce. Inevitably there is a great deal of deduction, supposition and guesswork. During the war years (Harry was in the war from the beginning) Harry kept a diary. Again there is limited information as Harry wasn’t a florid or voluminous diarist, his summations of the day were quite sparse. There were also family letters to draw on and more detailed information from his time in New Zealand.
Before the War Harry appears to have been a bit of a drifter. He didn’t really settle anywhere and school (Shrewsbury) was not a success. His family didn’t really know what to do with him. He was packed off to India a couple of times: once to work on the railways and once on a tea plantation. It seems he was effectively sacked from both. Eventually he ended up in New Zealand from 1912 where he worked on a farm. It was from there that he joined up in 1914 and went with the ANZAC forces to Egypt and on to Gallipoli.
Palin clearly had more to work with when it comes to descriptions of the war and conditions facing the ordinary soldiers. Harry was a private through most of his war, becoming a lance corporal not long before his death. The descriptions of trench life are what you would expect and the records from New Zealand soldiers have been preserved (a great deal of information about British soldiers was destroyed during the blitz). Harry does comment sometimes about the stupidity of what they are doing and the incompetence of senior officers, which is pretty much on record when it comes to Gallipoli.
Harry moved to the Western Front where he died on the Somme. His body was never found and so there is no grave; his name is on the memorial wall for fallen new Zealand soldiers.
Palin is a humane and thoughtful narrator, he lets the reader know when there are pieces missing. History isn’t just the history of the great and Palin has told the story of someone whose story would otherwise have been lost. Harry was a minor cog in the imperial machine. If you like this sort of history, you will probably like this.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this. Initially I was mostly struck by how “thin” this is as a history book. Until he joined the army Harry Palin kept no diaries, wrote few letters, and generally left little trace. And when he did start writing a diary his entries were frustratingly brief and superficial. Instead of a tale based on historical evidence, Michael Palin seemed to be writing about what he imagined Harry did or felt. “This is all supposition on my part.”

But then this isn’t really a history, it’s a family memoir. And MP is such a good story teller. And, his Great Uncle Harry might not have been a decorated war hero, but he was still a hero. He probably represented something closer to the average soldier - although in fact he certainly wasn’t average. By the time I finished I was completely hooked.

[Boudewijn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Palin, the 'travelling Python' writes about his great-uncle Harry. This time it is Michael's great-uncle Harry doing all the travelling. Michael stays near to home, tracing Harry's steps as he travels to India, New Zealand, Gallipoli and finally, Flander's fields. In accesible style he shows how Harry - trying to find his place in the world - finds his end in the Flemish trenches.

[Trevor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Palin’s 'Erebus' would probably fit into my top 20 reads ever and so I picked up this book with great anticipation – I was not disappointed.
Palin explores – and shares – the story of his great Uncle Harry, who lived for 16 years at the end of the 19th century and 16 years at the start of the 20th century, so was 32 when he died.
Harry was born into a relatively prosperous family and although largely educated at home, was sent to Shrewsbury School. Unlike his brothers, he did not seem to excel at anything and left after only two years. He seemed to be a restless soul and spent time working in India on the railways and on a tea plantation before moving to New Zealand to work on a farm. From here, he answered the call of King and country and along with thousands of other young men from New Zealand signed up to fight in World War 1.
Harry fought against the Turks in the slaughter at Gallipoli and survived without a scratch. Eventually he went to the Somme where the story ends in 1916.
This is both the story of great Uncle Harry, but also a fascinating story of those who came from New Zealand to fight for and in Europe. It tells of the horrors of conflict but also of the tedium of war, the waiting around (sometimes for weeks) of the exhaustion and much more.
Harry kept a diary throughout the war and Michael Palin painstakingly assembles Harry’s story through those and the many records that exist – the military was good at records. In many ways, Harry was a very ordinary man, but led an extraordinary life which is beautifully retold in these pages. Michael Palin’s final chapter – which I found to be breath-taking and incredibly moving - involves him walking the route in northern France that Harry might have taken during his final days.

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Palin's Uncle Harry led a fairly interesting, relatively short life.

Harry travelled the British Empire, and was living and working in New Zealand when war was declared in 1914, and we follow his activities from Egypt, then on to France to the front line.

Although Harry's life seems rather mundane compared to others of the times, I liked the personal journey Michael Palin went on to find out more about a relative of whom he had been largely unaware.

The diaries kept by Harry are more poignant than informative, but give clues as to his character, and Michael clearly respects this relative who he never met.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book at look at the author's Great uncle who was Killed in the Somme in 1916, the book charters his history from birth in Herefordshire to travels around the world to his final place in France in 1916 based on the subjects own notebooks and miltary records and other records, very interesting family history.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simon and I listened to the audiobook written and read by Michael Palin on our journey to London and back again. Michael Palin set out to tell his Great-Uncle Harry's story, which involved a fair bit of research, as he never met him. We learned a lot about the Great War, also known as World War I and the huge cost of young men's lives.

We also learned a lot about the items of clothing the soldiers wore. I pondered on the belief that wrapping your waist with a knitted belt would keep it from getting cold and prevent you from getting cholera. I almost laughed, until I considered some of the whacky beliefs and ideas of treatment that surround COVID-19.

One fascinating fact that took hold in my mind, Palin learned from a Monty Python fan that had known his Great-Uncle Harry that he had performed dental surgeries on his kitchen table!

Overall, I felt that this book would be of more interest to a Palin family member or someone looking to learn more about World War I.

[Cory Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredible book. The story is ordinary and tells of the young man that never really finds his way or calling life and then dies in World War I: but don't let that dissuade you from this book. The brilliance is in the construction, the research, the investigation, the deep sleuthing, and the curiosity and love the author has for a family member he never knew.

I absolutely enjoyed the lessons in history, in geography, and in war that were presented through the first-hand accounts unearthed from numerous sources. Palin's ability to provide his literary voice did not bore as most lectures and any retelling are wont to do: he absolutely knows how to captivate and retain his audience.

The big takeaway is that there are millions of lives that go unnoticed, undocumented, and largely untold.

Take a step back over a hundred years ago where you'll see the parallels that the world was not so different than it is today and fall in love with Great-Uncle Harry.

[Rob Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Great Uncle Harry" by Michael Palin is an enchanting journey into the past, led by the masterful storyteller himself. In this memoir, Palin introduces us to his extraordinary great uncle, a character so eccentric he leaps off the pages. With Palin's signature wit and charm, he unravels the tapestry of his own family's history, weaving a tale that's both hilarious and heartwarming. It's a delightful adventure through time and personality quirks that will leave you both laughing and pondering the unique threads that make up our family stories. If you're a fan of captivating memoirs and the exploration of family mysteries, this book is an absolute gem.

[Sam Aird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Affably written, but it turns out there's not a loads of info out there about Michael Palin's great-uncle Harry leading to affable guesswork and affable supposition

[Donna Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving read about Palin’s Great Uncle who was at Gallipoli and the Somme . The author paints a vivid picture of Harry and the book is a beautiful elegy to a lost generation . The ending chapter had me in tears .

[Ollie Botham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond immersive, poignant and fascinatingly detailed.
An interesting insight into family history, one man's search for himself and the depravities of WW1 first hand from the journals of Great Uncle Harry.
A truly bewildering man's life cleverly told by Michael Palin, who never ceases to entertain me.

[Johannes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Så det var noen andre som skreiv at dette ikke egentlig er en historiebok, men heller et familiememoar. MP har ikke hatt så mye kildemateriale å bruke før 1. Verdenskrig, men han klarer å gjøre boka til en fin hommage for det.

[Mike Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this because it was on offer and because I thought that a book written by Michael Palin about his great-uncle would be interesting. I was wrong. The cover looks like Roger Of The Raj, but the contents are very much more Eric Olthwaite and reading it certainly seemed like a test (Ripping Yarns references there).
For a start, the author admits that he didn't have much information to start with; that probably should have been a warning sign. The first few chapters are background to his early life and his unsuccessful journeys to India. Then, we get treated to entries from his diary, in which nothing exciting is recorded in not many words, so these are backed up by other people's diary entries.
I can see why this book might appeal to WW1 history buffs, but the writing has no wit, no character about it, much like Harry's diary and it seems, Harry himself.
Dull.

[Lee Prescott · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an interesting family history, but just that. I can imagine to the Palin clan this is fascinating stuff, but there is not enough of a tale in here that is out of the ordinary to justify it. I can't help but think that this one owes its existence to the stature of the author.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Palin wusste lange Zeit nur wenig von seinem Großonkel Harry. 1977 brachte eine Tante einen Stapel mit alten Familiendokumenten vorbei, darunter auch Harrys Aufzeichnungen. Aber auch wenn Michaels Interesse geweckt war, gab es doch andere Sachen, die wichtiger waren. Erst über dreißig Jahre später sah er Harrys Namen auf einer Gedenktafel an der Somme und dieses Mal schob er die Erinnerungen nicht beiseite.

Dass man in der Familie nur wenig über den Großonkel wusste, lag hauptsächlich daran, dass Harry auf den ersten Blick ein wenig wie das schwarze Schaf der Familie wirkte. Im Gegensatz zu seinem älteren Bruder war er ein durchschnittlicher Schüler. Seine Anstellungen bei verschiedenen Überseegesellschaften verdankte er den Beziehungen seiner Familie statt seiner Begabung. Aber trotz aller Unterstützung schaffte er es nie, beruflich Fuß zu fassen und wanderte schließlich nach Neuseeland aus. Zu Beginn des ersten Weltkriegs meldete er sich an die Front.

Harry Palin war kein ausführlicher, aber ein regelmäßiger Briefeschreiber. Aus den zahlreichen Nachrichten, die sich oft nur auf das Nötigste beschränkten, entstand ein anderes Bild als das, das die Familie von ihm hatte. Er beschreibt einen jungen Mann, der nie in das strenge Korsett der gesellschaftlichen Konventionen des britischen Empire gepasst hat und der von den an ihn gestellten Anforderungen oft überfordert war. Erst als er in Neuseeland schien er angekommen zu sein. Das einfache Leben auf der Farm, bei der er immer genau wusste, was man von ihm erwartete, war das Leben, für das er gemacht war. Vielleicht fühlte er sich deshalb auch bei der Armee so wohl, denn auch da wurden ihm alle Entscheidungen abgenommen.

Michaels Großonkel wirkte im Umgang mit anderen Menschen oft unbeholfen, aber in seinen Briefen war das nicht so. Er pflegte zahlreiche Brieffreundschaften mit jungen Frauen, wobei sich der Großneffe nicht sicher war, welche Motive er dabeihatte. Wahrscheinlich war seine Korrespondenz der einfachste Weg, seiner Einsamkeit zu entfliehen. Aber aus seinen Briefen konnte Michael nicht nur viel über den Krieg, sondern auch sehr viel über den Schreiber erfahren. Auch wenn sich die beiden Männer nie begegnet sind, wirkt die Erzählung des jüngeren Palin liebevoll, als ob er dem älteren Palin gerade "Auf Wiedersehen" gesagt hätte. Es ist eine andere Geschichte als die Reiseberichte, die ich sonst von Michael Palin kenne, aber deshalb gefällt sie mir nicht weniger gut.

[Gail Amendt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Palin of Monty Python fame became interested in the story of his Great Uncle Harry, who was killed in WWI, and about whom the family seemed to know relatively little. This book tells of his efforts to investigate his great uncle's story. Great Uncle Harry was the youngest son, and seems to have been a bit of a ne'er do well. He lived an interesting life as his family sent him off to India and New Zealand to make his way, and I think in a wealthier family he might have been a remittance man. Unfortunately there just isn't that much information about him. Palin had some journals Harry wrote, but he was a man of very few words and the journals really didn't provide much of interest. The result is that this is a very speculative book, and I suspect that if the author wasn't already famous it wouldn't have been published. It does give a different perspective on WWI than I am used to as Harry served with the New Zealand military, and was at Gallipoli before being sent to France where he was killed. I definitely know less about the ANZACs than about the service of the British and Canadians. It also got me thinking about the Great Uncle Harry in my family history, my grandmother's brother Arthur, who also perished in WWI.

[Debby Binns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable account of Michael Palin's great Uncle who was in WW1 fighting for the ANZACs. Listened on BBC Sounds - had always wondered what and where ANZAC cove is - and found out its on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. What a terrible war - so much wasted life.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - the caveat here being that there's a lot of speculation given the limited historical record. But it's an interesting exercise in pulling together narratives for people who are generally just footnotes in our personal histories (if you have the resources of course)

[Stewart Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read despite him getting frustrated that his great uncle kept very short diary entries.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

An evocative narration by Sir Michael, of his great uncle’s short life, one of the many casualties of the Battle of the Somme in 1916, sourced from diaries of his great uncle and others. Great Uncle Harry comes to life throughout the book, which is as much a social history of the late 1800s and early 1900s, as it is the tale of Harry. A highly engaging read.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Palin does indeed rip a good yarn, and this book tells the story of his great uncle Harry, known to him only through a few old family photographs. The story tells of a young man raised in a religious household, before eventually working for the British colonial authorities in India, later moving to New Zealand. He is there when the First World War breaks out, and after joining the ANZACs he fights in Gallipoli, before eventually meeting a tragic end at the Battle of the Somme on the Western Front.

One of the central problems with the book is that it is told piecemeal from whatever information Palin was able to gather - old service documents, and letters. We never know what Harry was thinking or feeling, and explanations are merely speculation. The book therefore is more Palin's journey than Harry's, piecing together his own family past and reflecting on his own visits to New Zealand or the battelefields of Western Europe.

[Ron Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have admired and enjoyed Michael Palin’s work since his Monty Python days through his madcap movies and then his travel adventures. I have read a few of his books. I am also a student of the First World War and the pain, suffering and death experienced by so many ’common men’.

In the early 1980s I read a book that affected my outlook on life, A. B. Facey’s A Fortunate Life. It made me realise that the ‘good’ humans on this planet weren’t the rich, the powerful, the famous. The good people were those who led an honest life, loved those near and dear and demanded little from government and others. Uncle Harry was one such person. Sadly, he made the ultimate sacrifice in a rather pointless conflict, but a conflict that changed the world and those changes still reverberate today.

Palin begins his book by giving an account of how he came into possession of a collection of papers, letters, documents and photographs. One of these photographs is of his Great Uncle Harry in a military uniform. Palin had heard very little of Great Uncle Harry and this book is the culmination of several years of research.

Palin tells of his great uncle’s immediate family, of his time spent in India and then New Zealand. He makes guesses and assumptions about great uncle Harry that are very Michael Palin. They are witty, a bit mischievous and dry.

Like so many colonials Harry got caught up in the turmoil and euphoria of going off to protect the empire. Palin writes about the often-delayed voyage to the war. We hear the voices of the real men, their real views, and real difficulties. The reader gets to taste what war was really like for those pulling the trigger and holding their mate while life drained from their body. Not the academic writings of some stuffy Cambridge don typing away in his booklined study.

Palin draws on primary sources, mainly Harry’s and other soldier’s diaries, letters sent from the front line to loved ones at home and statements and views expressed at the time.

What I found fascinating that Palin writes from the New Zealanders point of view. For someone who has read so many ANZAC stories where New Zealand soldiers were hardly mentioned this was revealing.

As they approached the Suez Canal the men, including their senior officers assumed they were heading to England. All were bitterly disappointed when they embarked in Egypt, the land of ‘dust and sand’. The men were told that they must behave in a manner that ‘upholds the prestige of the British race’. Nevertheless, the temptations of the flesh were strong with Cairo having thousands of prostitutes from surrounding lands. Many bars opened selling spirits of indeterminable origins. One officer wrote that it was the city of Bacchus and Venus. Palin commented that the first casualty of war is truth, followed closely by chastity.

I learnt that when Turkey entered the war the allies were concerned that they might try to take control of the Suez Canal and it was in its defense that New Zealand troops first saw action. They soon learnt that the Turks were more than just ‘orange sellers.’

It wasn’t long before the NZ troops became part of the Gallipoli campaign. ‘We heard for the first time that sickening soft thud of shell fragments and bullets meeting human flesh.’

The NZ troops experienced horrific battles. The death toll was horrendous, and he lost many friends and mates. Michael Palin makes reference to the 2022 documentary on the Falklands War where a soldier explained that on the battlefield you are not fighting for King, country or empire, you’re fighting for the man to the right of you and for the man on the left of you. Frederick Forsyth said similar in his television series, Soldiers, “they don’t fight for political slogans or for their regiments honour. They fight for one another.’ They then only share the memories of battles with fellow soldiers.

Where the attack on Gallipoli was a disaster, the evacuation was an outstanding success. Harry was hoping that they would get time in Old Blighty, but this wasn’t to be. The troops landed in Southern France and then travelled north to the Somme River. During this section of the book Palin relies heavily on Harry’s diaries. Initially he misses out on leave but when some does come through, he dashed across the channel to see his mother and assorted family. A sad aspect of his home leave is that he proposes to his lady friend, Marge, but she says no. Palin recalls how Marge went on to have a long productive life passing away in 1974 at the age of eighty-nine.

When Harry returns to the front Palin gives a vivid description of the trenches and the living condition. The author gave mind numbing casualty counts. I thought of the population of country towns I had lived in, of the number who were attending Taylor Sift concerts.

The tactics of the generals of World War 1 wasn’t about making advances and capturing land, it was all about a kill count. You had to kill more of the enemy then they killed of your men to win. Again, Michael Palin drew on official accounts of the attacks in the Battle of the Somme.

It was on the 27th September 1916 that Harry’s luck ran out and he was killed on the battlefield. The army often used palliative euphemisms to describe soldiers’ deaths. Because Great Uncle Harry’s remains were never found Palin believes he was ‘obliterated’ by an enemy shell.

‘Lance Corporal Palin was a very small fry in a very big war’, but then it was the thousands and thousands of the ‘insignificant’ who we should remember. At this stage of the book this particular reader shed a tear, not just for Harry, but for all who lost their lives in this senseless war.

Palin concludes his story of Harry by describing the damage that the war did to Harry’s family.

In the lengthy acknowledgements he mentions the role of Peter Jackson, of Lord of the Rings fame, in supplying so much valuable information and pictures of the New Zealand soldiers in the War.

[Art Chamberlain · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's really not enough Harry in this to justify a book. Palin largely guesses how Harry might be reacting to early events in his life, based on little evidence. He denies the abundant evidence that Harry was lazy and not too bright. And when it comes to the war, Harry's diary is vague and uninteresting. Palin fills the gaps by quoting from other, more interesting diaries from other soldiers.

[David Hallstrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an absolute joy to read.

Michael Palin dives deep into this family history and learns what he can of the life of his grandfather's youngest brother who died in the battle of the Somme. (This is not a spoiler as the fact is mentioned in the first paragraph of the jacket blurb.)

We follow Harry from his early life as the least academic son of a vicar, to private school, to a wayward existence working the railroads and later tea farms of India. Harry eventually ends up working on a farm in New Zealand before joining the New Zealand army for World War I.

Harry survives Gallipoli (no small feat), is stationed in Egypt, then France. He eventually receives a promotion and is in line for a commission just before he is killed.

This book is best described as a labor of love. Palin has researched his uncle's life as much as he can. And he has war diaries to quote.

An absolutely gem of a book.

[David]

A labour of love mixed with curiosity! Palin's Great-Uncle Harry, a casualty of World War I, comes to be 'the known soldier,' at least as thoroughly as endless research into diaries and peers can make a generally anonymous man known. A curiosity for me: as Harry Palin was associated with ANZAC forces rather than specifically in the British Army, many of his war experiences occurred in theatres associated with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment--Gallipoli and The Somme, as well as training in Egypt. Palin's style is humorous but not Pythonesque. What ultimately emerges is a portrait that, while specifically applicable only to Palin's own family, could have been the general story of many men in the era: a youngest son who doesn't quite fit expectations, a wanderer and a generally convivial soul, and a man who died in a wasteful war.

[Martin Brabazon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of the short life of Harry Palin (great-uncle of Michael). It coincides with last sixteen years of the 19th century and first sixteen of the 20th century. Harry's life takes in England, India, and New Zealand - at a time when the British Empire covered large swathes of the earth - before culminating in the First World War and action at Gallipoli and the Somme.

These subjects have been covered before but, seen through Harry's eyes and diaries, this book is refreshing (and, at times, frustrating) in providing the perspective of a rather ordinary and often inscrutable person on the front line of history.

[Mike Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this IS a good read.

Michael Palin (if you've ever seen him interviewed) is a very engaging person and his writing mirrors that quality. He draws you in and you are happy to follow along.

On the surface this is a personal journey: to find out as much as he can about one of his lesser documented relatives. It begins in history, tradition and society - introducing great uncle Harry almost as an extra in the story and letting him slowly take centre stage. You are with him as an awkward underachiever in a family of consequence and you feel for him as he searches for who and what he can be in his own right. Then the first World War breaks out and it gets very dark as you follow how, little by little, a young man's life can easily move from carefree wandering at will to absolute peril which is completely beyond his control.

It's a slow burn at the beginning but a proper page turner by the end. I really enjoyed it.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. An investigation into a mysterious ancestor, unlike all the other family members around him -- a mystery who died young in WWI and leaves behind a man-sized hole that Great Nephew Michael Palin tries hard to fill. Between the Victorian & Edwardian historical details, the character studies of family members, and some gentle supposition based on the available facts, Mr. Palin does a masterful job of recreating his Great Uncle out of the dust of history. Wonderful stuff.