To Fight Alongside Friends: The First World War Diaries of Charlie May

by Gerry Harrison, Charlie May (Editor), David Crane (Foreword)

The First World War Diaries of Manchester Pals Captain Charlie May – written and kept in secret and published now for the first time. A born storyteller, Charlie May’s vivid eye for detail and warm good humour brings his experience in the trenches (and the experience of millions of ordinary men like him) to life for a 21st-century readership.

Captain Charlie May was killed, aged 27, in the early morning of 1st July 1916, leading the men of ‘B Company’, 22nd Manchester Service Battalion (the Manchester Pals) into action on the first day of the Somme.

This tolerant and immensely likeable man had been born in New Zealand and – against King’s regulations – he kept a diary in seven small, wallet-sized pocket books. A journalist before the war and a born storyteller, May’s diaries give a vivid picture of battalion life in and behind the trenches during the build-up to the greatest battle fought by a British army and are filled with the friendships and tensions, the home-sickness, frustrations, delays and endless postponements, the fog of ignorance, the combination of boredom and terror to which every man that has ever fought could testify.

His diaries reflect on the progress of the war, tell jokes – good and bad, give details of horse-rides along the Somme valley, afternoons with a fishing rod, lunch in Amiens, a gastronomic celebration of Christmas 1915 and concerts in ‘Whiz Bang Hall’. He describes battles not just with the enemy, but with rats, crows and on the makeshift football pitch – all recorded with a freshness that brings these stories home as if for the first time.

The diaries are also written as an extended and deeply-moving love letter to his wife Maude and baby daughter Pauline. ‘I do not want to die’, he wrote – ‘Not that I mind for myself. If it be that I am to go, I am ready. But the thought that I may never see you or our darling baby again turns my bowels to water.’

Fresh, eloquent and warm, these diaries were kept secret from the censor and were delivered to his wife after his death by a fellow soldier in Charlie’s company. Edited by his great-nephew and published for the first time, these diaries give an unforgettable account of the war that took Charlie May’s life, and millions of others like him.

Genres: Nonfiction, World War I, War, Research, Memoir

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 3, 2014

Reviews

[Shake n' Vac]

This book is less of a diary than a private account of the war addressed by Charlie May to his wife and, in its own way, to his daughter. The account has its harrowing moments, but should also dispatch the myth that men were constantly in the front line - as Charlie has many hours of boredom to contend with. Charlie is often the patriotic Hun-hater, although he himself eventually gets bored of the war and, indeed, wants it to be all over. Charlie is, of course, of the Officer class and writes in the style and parlance of the day - and so his observations are directed mainly at his family, his brother officers, and, although it comes across without particular malice, dispatching the Hun.

What did I take from his account? Well, he struck a personal chord: in that while many would not wish to be in his position, always facing the unknown, equally, I think many would envy the love he had from, and felt for, his wife and daughter that sustained him as he faced that uncertainty with, as he would say, equanimity.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not want to finish this book.

Captain Charlie May, of B Company the 22nd Manchester Regiment, died on 1st July 1916 alongside nearly 20 000 others. You are told this in the foreword, and thus whenever the Somme or "the big push/attack" is brought up, you are filled with dread. But even more persistent throughout his diary is the sense that Charlie May is just supremely normal, someone who misses his job, enjoys the company of his fellow officers, hates the rain, loves riding his horse, and loves his wife and baby daughter more than anything else. When I heard of his plans for his family, knowing that they will never come to fruition, it genuinely brought tears to my eyes. Like I said, I did not want to finish this book.

[Stuart B. Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read many diaries from the Great War but this is one of the most moving. It records the thoughts of Captain Charlie May from going to France in November 1915 until the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. Full of humour, pathos and the deep abiding love he had for his wife Maude and daughter Pauline

A real human insight into the experience of war and very moving

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book even though one knows from the beginning how it ends. Charles May was a very good writer and I wish the book could have been longer. I highly recommend this book.

[Charlie Durell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite moving to read a personal diary from the days at WW 1 in the trenches et al.
It does give you an insight and brings you closer to what the soldiers endured.

[wendy elizabeth jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've known of Capt. Charlie May for years, mainly because of that last poignant letter written to his wife and daughter, so often recounted in other Great War histories. His style of writing is so good, obviously as a professional author and journalist, it is expected, but there is a warmth and humour that runs through the diaries, all the more so as they were written without worry of censorship. He was not ashamed of fighting for his country, of being English, of describing his pride for the men in his command or his friendships with his brother officers. Even though I already knew that Capt. May died within two hours of going over the top on July 1st, I really wanted him to survive the war and go home to his beloved wife and daughter, his last letter to them, is, in my opinion, one of the most moving personal testimonies of what it means to experience war.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant record of Captain May's time in France that leads up to his death on the very first day of the Somme offensive on July 1st followed by the plaintive, unreceived letter from his beloved wife and the mother of his child back in in England. May left for England from NZ when he was 14 and I can't help thinking that his independent view of the Army and criticism of many of his fellow officers grew out of his NZ background where issues of class were far less important. Having recently seen the Peter Jackson documentary which colourised the bw footage from WW1 I was easily abl e to conjure up the trench scenes in my mind. Even allowing for the love of his fellow soldiers it always seems remarkable how fatalistic men seemed to be in the frontlines in this era. May writes about doing his best for King and country and that what ever happens will happen.

[Danny Whatmough · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's somewhat strange to read such a positive account of the great war when most of what I've been taught is that it was a miserable time not only in memory but for those involved.

It's a really good, personal view of the war and is really well written. Thoroughly enjoyed it, even if it did make me a little sad.
May is such a likable fellow that despite knowing how his story ends right from the start I still found myself clinging onto the hope it wouldn't end that way, or hoping it would drag out a bit longer before he had to go... Yet I've visited the battlefield and seen the man's grave first hand, I just didn't want it.

Unique from what I've read about the great war yet reminiscent of the type of accounts you see lots of with modern conflicts.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly fascinating and ultimately heartbreaking. A fitting book to read in the year of the centenary of the Battle of the Somme.

[Dave S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diaries like this may not always be a totally gripping read, but i found this was. it gave such a simple and well written view into the day to day life of a soldier at war. It is fascinating as it is very much of the time, and yet so touching and intimate in places that i found it very moving.
The ultimate knowledge that he didn't make make parts hard to read, particularly as he gets close to the big day. I felt privileged to be be able to share Charlie May's story.