The Fateful Year: England 1914

by Mark Bostridge

The Fateful Year is the story of England in 1914. War with Germany, so often imagined and predicted, finally broke out when people were least prepared for it. Here, among a crowded cast of unforgettable characters, are suffragettes, armed with axes, destroying works of art; schoolchildren going on strike in support of their teachers; and celebrity aviators thrilling spectators by looping the loop. A theatrical diva prepares to shock her audience, while an English poet in the making sets out on a midsummer railway journey that will result in the creation of a poem that remains loved and widely known to this day.

With the coming of war, England is beset by rumor and foreboding. There is hysteria about German spies, fears of invasion, while patriotic women hand out white feathers to men who have failed to rush to their country's defense. In the book's final pages, a bomb falls from the air onto British soil for the first time, and people live in expectation of air raids. As 1914 fades out, England is preparing itself for the prospect of a war of long duration.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War I, British Literature, War, 20th Century

404 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 2014

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Bostridge’s Fateful Year is an enjoyable and interesting skim through England in 1914. It isn’t a formal chronological history of 1914, and it’s in no way a military history. Instead the author presents a series of vignettes highlighting different events through the year, some relatively mundane and some momentous: a domestic murder, the theatre, a village school, the “Irish question”, the suffragette movement, and then the coming of war, volunteers and white feathers, wartime life, German spies (most of whom weren’t, really), and the first attacks on English soil. Inevitably I found some snapshots more interesting than others, but overall this is an entertaining, engaging, frequently illuminating and very English look at 1914.

My only doubts are that the structure of the book is slightly uneven, and I’m not sure what the author’s thesis is (Europe’s last summer wasn’t quite so idyllic?) or even if there is one.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating snapshot of England prior to and at the start of WW I. Written in an easy to read manner drawing on diaries, newspapers etc - the author starts each chapter with a different person's story and worldview. Especially interesting if you have watched period movies or Downton Abbey. Well done

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not so much a book about war, but more about what was going on around it in 1914, and the impact. After I finished reading it, I wanted Mark Bostridge to have written another few books - to cover the war in the same way. It was nice [and nice isn't really the word] to read a book that had the background of war, and a hellish one at that, but focused more on what was happening around it.

[Bill38silver · Rating 4 out of 5]

The basic concept of this book- focus on a single year, research masses of detail from a wide range of sources, and decide what is interesting enough to leave in and what to leave out- is a fairly straightforward structure. However, Bostridge excels with this narrative about a momentous year. The subject of his chapters is well chosen, with few "duff" accounts, and there is enough but not an overload of political or military matters. The author captures the mood of the nation as it meanders innocently towards the edge of catastrophe and how life changes massively for so many almost overnight.

This book draws on reported events, diaries and extracts from a broad spectrum of classes and covers many incidents that occurred in 1914 staring with an unsolved child murder and an unusual infatuation by a Prime Minister. Other chapters which I found of particular interest were the increasing militancy of the suffragettes, the impact(or otherwise) of handing out white feathers to supposed slackers, the overblown reports of spies in the community, and the German air and naval attacks on Scarborough and Hartlepool.

This is worthwhile read about society in England in the single year of 1914. Those wishing to read a book with a similar structure but greater and sharper wit -albeit covering the 1920s and 1930s-should turn to Ronald Blythe's "The Age of Illusion".

[Alistair Wanstall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a lovely mix between fascinating factual history, and light entertaining stories to capture general feeling of a country about to enter the terrible destruction of World War I, alongside the rest of the world. It takes a beautifully tragic snapshot of a new, idealistic and optimistic world that was broken in the crucible of conflict. It was a world vibrant with culture, art, new political philosophies and a boundless confidence in the powers of commerce, culture and Christianity to carve a brave new future. There is little written about the impact of Britain's vast empire and how it contributed to the cultural fabric of England in 1914, as there is a tight focus on England. The book feels all the more poignant if the reader has some small knowledge of the war that would claim millions of lives and the aftermath of the conflict, a conflict which debased the currencies of Europe that had held strong for hundreds of years and which sparked a chain of industrialised violence fueled by ideological conflict, that the world is still recovering from to this day.

Overall an excellent book, evoking a great amount of suspense coupled with emotion at the horrific waste of life and potential.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting narrative style tale of the lead up to the great war in 1914. It gives a basic outline of the political and social events happening in and around Britain at the beginning of 1914. But as a work in which to gain an understanding of the way Europe or indeed Britain went to war it is perhaps not as insightful as some other works such as Clarke's 'sleepwalkers', Tuchmann's 'The proud tower', or Ham's '1914'.

However, this book does do a wonderful job of putting the historian in the frame of reference of the everyday person, in Britain, in 1914. It gives you a window into what was making the news. How everyday life was lived and enables you to, perhaps, better feel a place from which you can understand the events which followed and the way they were viewed by everyday citizens. So, it is a valuable book as it produces a frame of reference from which you can better understand the way Britain went to war.

A beautifully presented book it must be said.

Thanks for reading

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding account of events in England during 1914. It takes noteworthy events throughout the year to paint a vivid picture of life in the run-up to and the first five months of the First World War. The book is well researched, using a mass of primary sources from, for example, newspapers and personal accounts. Mark Bostridge's selection of events is well judged and reflects the mood of the times. The chapters that deal with the war period are probably the most compelling, but the whole book is very powerful. The bibliographical chapter at the end of the book is excellent.

My only complaint is that the author could profitably have embraced the whole UK, especially as events in Ireland (which are mentioned) so strongly affected the mood of the whole country during this period.

Nevertheless, this is a model of accessible and informative historical picture-painting and is strongly recommended.

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

this was this month's pick for book club, I really really tried my hardest to enjoy reading It, but for all my best efforts I have had to give up.I aren't a great lover of factual books anyway unless it is something I really really love. but the way he has written it was far too text bookish for me and I found it too hard to keep my concentration on it.

[Derek Henderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly organised materials. Often there is simply too much extraneous background detail or indeed repetition. A case of throwing enough stuff to see what sticks. I quickly had to start skipping to avoid dozing off..

[Michelle Birkby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic look at the year Britain went to war - a year that has passed into mythology. He looks into all classes, all people, those we know and those we don’t, looking at who could see it coming, who didn’t, the reaction. Very interesting and very moving

[Elizabeth Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I certainly recommend this book. It is a must read - so informative and accessible. It demonstrates how actions have lasting effects which is so relevant in our present situation.

[Dan Sotirios Kostopulos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book from start to finish. Begins with a sensationalized child-murder on the railway and ends with German battleships shelling Scarborough killing dozens while a group of British cold-water swimmers watch. 1914 starts like any other year in Edwardian England but ends in an entirely different world altogether. Great read!

[Jill Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are now in the 100th year anniversary of the Great War, and some excellent books have been published. Some look at the war in total, but some concentrates on parts of the war, usually divided by the year. Mark Bostridge has written a superb book about the first year of the war, "The Fateful Year: England 1914".

The year 1914 was noteworthy even before the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in late June. Britain was awash with suffragettes protesting for the vote-for-women. These women were not afraid to destroy public property - particularly in the nation's art galleries - or go to jail for their crimes. While there, they often starved themselves and the authorities force-fed these women. The "Irish Question" was a hot topic, both politically and militarily, and it seemed everybody had a "solution". The Liberal Prime Minister, Herbert Henry Asquith, was in love with a young woman who was not his wife, Margot, and he spent hours a day pouring out his heart to her in letters. (If you'd like to read more about Asquith and his "in love with love", look for the book, "Margot at War: Love and Betrayal in Downing Street", by Anne de Courcy.)

With war declared in early August, Bostridge looks at the military enlistments and how different events either spurred on enlistments or hindered them. Certainly being presented with a "White Feather" by a young woman who taunts a man she doesn't think is in the military was a tactless way of accusing that man of cowardice without knowing all the facts. Bostridge also writes about the "Pals Divisions"; the practice of encouraging enlistments by having men from a village or work place serve together. Men might end up serving with their friends and family members, but the effect on a town when so many are lost in battle is often stunning.

The reason Bostridge's book is so good is what he has chosen to cover. Rather than concentrating on the military and political events of the year, he includes societal events such as crimes, artistic and literary endeavours, and affairs of the heart, which combine to make a look at 1914 England so complete. Mark Bostridge is a lively writer, and the book is one of the best I've read on WW!. (Mark Bostridge is also the author of several books on the British author, Vera Brittain.)

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting review of one of the most momentous years in British history, seen through the eyes of ordinary people, politicians and people in power.

We complain of 2016 being a bad year, but of course it was nothing compared to 1914. But what struck me was how blindly the population stumbled into war, even as late as July most were unaware conflict was likely. Senior politicians were blithely assuming Britain would stay out and it would be a European mainland war with Britain remaining neutral.

The causes of the first world war is a fascinating field, not least because it could happen again. The jingoism and sheer pomposity of establishment figures on all sides had a lot to answer for. It's worrying when you can see modern similarities, and how when nationalism and propaganda run out of control, it doesn't take much to tip over the edge.

This book charts events month by month. At first it is all domestic issues. Contrary to popular belief, the pre-war years were turbulent and divisive. Civil war was on the point of breaking out in Ireland, suffragettes were becoming ever more militant and industrial action breaking out everywhere. It makes you wonder what would have happened if there had been no war, and it struck me that in some sections of the country it must have been a welcome diversion. (Though not to Asquith incidentally, who seemed as horrified as anyone).

The book starts with a famous murder case in January 1914 which I have to admit I found sensationalist and I thought would set the tone for the book. Fortunately I was wrong, and Bostridge soon gets into his stride, weaving the mundane with the increasing shadow cast by international events. There is a real humanity and atmosphere to this book, it’s the depth of detail that makes a long distant year feel very vivid.

[Andrew Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book that gives both a micro and macro look at the year 1914 in England. Bostridge masterfully charts the progress of this pivotal year which starts with activities of the militant suffragettes and troubles in Ireland as well as a domestic murder who done it and moves inextricably to the looming clouds of war and then shows how everything became focused on the war effort in those first months of the bloodiest war to end all wars. Bostridge gives several views of this year from different social and cultural perspectives. Excellent notes and references for further exploration. Highly recommend.

[Nick Pengelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly awesome book! I know a lot about the events of 1914, and WWI in general, but much of what is recounted in "The Fateful Year" I knew only as "dot points". Other matters, such as the controversy over the use of the word "bloody" in the first staging of Pygmalion, I knew nothing about. Mr. Bostridge has hugely fleshed out my knowledge, and made me eager to learn more (there's a brilliant bibliographical essay for others like me). Top of my "to be read" next list is the letters of PM Asquith to Venetia Stanley. Having devoured "The Fateful Year", my fondest hope would be that the author intends to keep going - I'd place an order now for "1915"!

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good social history of the pivotal year 1914 in England. Obviously it can't cover everything, but it does open a window into the time, and provides a useful reminder that actual life, whenever and wherever we take our focus, is rich, nuanced, and diverse - lived by real people and not by historical caricatures. In the case of England in 1914, I got the sense that while WWI wasn't inevitable, perhaps - given modern art, increasingly militant trades unions and suffragettes - some kind of 'break-point' social upheaval was. It's an interesting speculation: what would the world have been like without WWI? A socialist Europe by the end of the 1920s is one real possibility.

[Alison]

not just a run up to the war but an overview of the signs of the times in 1914 England. From the start of the year, the significant events and exemplars of public thought are explored. one or two myths exploded -not that good a summer weather-wise etc,. some politics but also theatre, Ireland, aeroplanes (especially as that becomes more important in warfare, ) the suffrage movement, spies and national security, private lives of Asquith and other politicians.
he uses extracts from diaries of many people and letters. Really readable and interesting.

[Michael Linton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story. Particularly as it is 100 years since the start of of WW1. Covers the major and the mundane of the period with the usual major figures of England in that year. However, the best stories are those involving the minor players such as the school children's strike and the wives, sisters and mothers of the average Tommy. Highly recommended.

[Jane Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are plenty of books on this theme out this year. Does this one bring anything different? Yes, up to a point. Bostridge draws on diaries and accounts from different parts of the country to add to the picture of how that "fateful year" played out. He has an easy style, but proof-reading should have eliminated errors like "bygone" for "foregone".

[Robert Godden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating insight, and in reading in in 2014, it has revealed much about how massively society has changed in just 100 years.
Great essay format, skips around a bit which I love.
Mixes the political and the personal, has much tragedy but also some simple joy.
I hope he writes 1915 next!

[Andrea Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative sampler of English culture during the single year, 1914 ... quotes a variety of contemporary sources ... a refreshing variety, especially for chronicles of the First World War ...

[Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating historical snapshot of England during the immediate pre-war period, and just after war began.

[Madi Ojala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well written with great evidence and interesting facts.