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Letter To An Unknown Soldier: If you could write a letter to a First World War soldier, what would you say?
On Platform One of Paddington Station in London, there is a statue of an unknown soldier; he’s reading a letter. On the hundredth anniversary of the declaration of war everyone in the country was invited to take a moment and write that letter. A selection of those letters are published here, in a new kind of war memorial – one made only of words. In a year of public commemoration ‘Letter to an Unknown Soldier’ invited everyone to step back from the public ceremonies and take a few private moments to think. Providing a space for people to reconsider the familiar imagery we associate with the war memorials – cenotaphs, poppies, and silence – it asked the following if you could say what you want to say about that war, with all we’ve learned since 1914, with all your own experience of life and death to hand, what would you say? If you were able to send a personal message to this soldier, a man who served and was killed during World War One, what would you write? The response was extraordinary. The invitation was to everyone and, indeed, all sorts of people schoolchildren, pensioners, students, artists, nurses, serving members of the forces and even the Prime Minister. Letters arrived from all over the United Kingdom and beyond, and many well-known writers and personalities contributed. Opening on 28th June 2014, the centenary of the Sarajevo assassinations, and closing at 11 pm on the night of 4 August 2014, the centenary of the moment when Prime Minister Asquith announced to the House of Commons that Britain had joined the First World War, this book offers a snapshot of what people in this country and across the world were thinking and feeling about the centenary of World War One.
- GenresNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2014
6 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Kate Pullinger
41 books84 followersKate Pullinger is an award-winning writer of novels, short stories and digital works. Her most recent book is FOREST GREEN, out in Canada in August 2020. She is Professor of Creative Writing and Digital Media at Bath Spa University.
Born in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Kate dropped out of McGill University after a year and a half of not studying philosophy and literature. She then spent a year working in a copper mine in the Yukon where she crushed rocks and saved money. She spent that money travelling and ended up in London, England, where she lives with her husband and two children.
Kate’s other books include The Mistress of Nothing, winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction 2009, Landing Gear, A Little Stranger and The Last Time I Saw Jane, as well as the ghost tale, Weird Sister, and the erotic feminist vampire novel Where Does Kissing End? These four titles have recently been re-released in new ebook editions.
Kate’s digital works include Inanimate Alice (www.inanimatealice.com), an episodic online multimedia novel and Flight Paths: A Networked Novel (www.flightpaths.net)
You can find out more about Kate and her work at www.katepullinger.com
Born in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Kate dropped out of McGill University after a year and a half of not studying philosophy and literature. She then spent a year working in a copper mine in the Yukon where she crushed rocks and saved money. She spent that money travelling and ended up in London, England, where she lives with her husband and two children.
Kate’s other books include The Mistress of Nothing, winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction 2009, Landing Gear, A Little Stranger and The Last Time I Saw Jane, as well as the ghost tale, Weird Sister, and the erotic feminist vampire novel Where Does Kissing End? These four titles have recently been re-released in new ebook editions.
Kate’s digital works include Inanimate Alice (www.inanimatealice.com), an episodic online multimedia novel and Flight Paths: A Networked Novel (www.flightpaths.net)
You can find out more about Kate and her work at www.katepullinger.com
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 11, 2020
This was an incredibly moving read and I felt sad reading every letter. The multiplicity of ways in which different people from all over the UK poured their family memories, imaginations, fears and love into the letters was astounding. It was particularly interesting to see the responses of famous writers and politicians. Every letter felt intimate.
In 21st century fashion, the letters takes different perspectives on war. Some thank the soldier for their bravery, whilst others remark on their cowardice. Some relate how the war has led to an increased peace today, whilst others state how senseless killing has not stopped, even after one hundred years.
Some people even talk about their relationship to the statue in Paddington Station. I have to admit that even though I have frequented the station a lot, I have not looked up from my phone enough to see it and so have never noticed it.
In 21st century fashion, the letters takes different perspectives on war. Some thank the soldier for their bravery, whilst others remark on their cowardice. Some relate how the war has led to an increased peace today, whilst others state how senseless killing has not stopped, even after one hundred years.
Some people even talk about their relationship to the statue in Paddington Station. I have to admit that even though I have frequented the station a lot, I have not looked up from my phone enough to see it and so have never noticed it.
August 5, 2021
Incredibly moving and heartbreaking.
May 24, 2021
Provocative, intimate and exquisitely emotional, I wish I had known about this project so that I may have contributed. I would be fascinated to revisit how my fourteen-year-old self viewed war and empire, sacrifice and slaughter. I wonder whether the reality of the women left behind and the pain they experienced would even have crossed her mind.
What would I say now? My visceral response would be something like, ‘Your sacrifice was not for your country, but for a pivotal step towards equality and freedom. Empire has no place in this world, and I would not be the liberated young woman I am a century later had this atrocity not occurred. Do the means ever justify the ends? That I wish that those with the power had gone about this differently seems too slight.’
What would I say now? My visceral response would be something like, ‘Your sacrifice was not for your country, but for a pivotal step towards equality and freedom. Empire has no place in this world, and I would not be the liberated young woman I am a century later had this atrocity not occurred. Do the means ever justify the ends? That I wish that those with the power had gone about this differently seems too slight.’
November 12, 2020
Name of the Book: Letter to an Unknown Soldier: A New Kind of War Memorial
Author: It is actually a collection of letters edited and compiled by Neil Bartlett and Kate Pullinger
Genre: History/Military/World War
Summary and Thoughts:
For centuries, men have waged wars against their fellow men, brothers against brothers. Once with fists and stones, sharpened steel, metal contraptions, bullets, and now, they rain down hellfire missiles and artillery barrages like a ruthless hailstorm from the bellies of hell itself. War has torn asunder millions of families and the world has seen blood spilled across every inch of wherever we stand. Yet, humans have only repeated their actions, each time with unprecedented ferocity.
A lifesize bronze statue of an unknown soldier stands within London's Paddington Station with a letter in his hands, a memorial to the war that was meant to end all wars. The letter and the soldier remain unknown, shrouded in a veil of mystery. On the hundredth anniversary of the declaration of the First World War, people from all over the world were invited to write the letter the soldier held in his hands.
Letter to an Unknown Soldier is a collection from the thousands of letters than poured in from people across all known disciplines of life from all over the world, creating a war memorial filled with angry, sad, proud, sentimental, and broken words, all that deserves to be heard.
The book was a captivating and emotional read, and I had to often stop at only a letter a day as emotions dripped out of every page. I have a knack for history and I've read about wars, but never have I ever read something this personal and hallow. The letters made me imagine myself as a mother grieving for her young boy as he rode a truck to certain oblivion, a brother holding his favorite cricket bat in his hands as he waited for his brother, a broken father who kept in his tears until it was dark, a sister who saw her world in her brother's eyes, and confused children with their mothers all praying for their father to come home.
In the end, all that remains is a question to ourselves.
"If you could write a letter to an unknown soldier, what would you say?"
My Rating : 5/5
Favourite Quotes:" Dear Papa, I know you'll always be with me. You'll always want to play hide and seek with me, but I can't find you this time."
Author: It is actually a collection of letters edited and compiled by Neil Bartlett and Kate Pullinger
Genre: History/Military/World War
Summary and Thoughts:
For centuries, men have waged wars against their fellow men, brothers against brothers. Once with fists and stones, sharpened steel, metal contraptions, bullets, and now, they rain down hellfire missiles and artillery barrages like a ruthless hailstorm from the bellies of hell itself. War has torn asunder millions of families and the world has seen blood spilled across every inch of wherever we stand. Yet, humans have only repeated their actions, each time with unprecedented ferocity.
A lifesize bronze statue of an unknown soldier stands within London's Paddington Station with a letter in his hands, a memorial to the war that was meant to end all wars. The letter and the soldier remain unknown, shrouded in a veil of mystery. On the hundredth anniversary of the declaration of the First World War, people from all over the world were invited to write the letter the soldier held in his hands.
Letter to an Unknown Soldier is a collection from the thousands of letters than poured in from people across all known disciplines of life from all over the world, creating a war memorial filled with angry, sad, proud, sentimental, and broken words, all that deserves to be heard.
The book was a captivating and emotional read, and I had to often stop at only a letter a day as emotions dripped out of every page. I have a knack for history and I've read about wars, but never have I ever read something this personal and hallow. The letters made me imagine myself as a mother grieving for her young boy as he rode a truck to certain oblivion, a brother holding his favorite cricket bat in his hands as he waited for his brother, a broken father who kept in his tears until it was dark, a sister who saw her world in her brother's eyes, and confused children with their mothers all praying for their father to come home.
In the end, all that remains is a question to ourselves.
"If you could write a letter to an unknown soldier, what would you say?"
My Rating : 5/5
Favourite Quotes:" Dear Papa, I know you'll always be with me. You'll always want to play hide and seek with me, but I can't find you this time."
January 27, 2022
A new kind of memorial created and a beautiful one at that! This book is full of hundreds of letters written by people all over the world to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War 1. The letters were beautifully written and full of imagination for the unknown soldier. I loved this book. Was so sad for it to end!
February 20, 2025
this was very moving. I loved that so many different individuals participated and thus appeared in this collection of letters. Of course some writers are part of this collection and though their letters were beautiful it was often that of anonymous participants or regular citizens that had the strongest impact on me. This was really lovely.
November 13, 2019
A lovely book full of letters to the Unknown Solider. A wonderful memorial for all who have fought for us. It certainly got me thinking about the war and was very emotional at times.
March 31, 2023
rouna agaya
September 25, 2023
This little book packs limitless grief of many people. Beautiful.
August 17, 2015
I absolutely love the concept of this project. Memorials should speak to and for anybody who wants to engage with them, and this project and the resulting book are a beautiful reminder of this.
My only criticism is that there are an awful lot of letters chosen for publication in the book that were by writers and poets. I know that not all these people would have treated their letter like a writing project, but many of them read that way, and that made them seem less authentic. I would be very curious to know how the decisions were made on which to include.
My only criticism is that there are an awful lot of letters chosen for publication in the book that were by writers and poets. I know that not all these people would have treated their letter like a writing project, but many of them read that way, and that made them seem less authentic. I would be very curious to know how the decisions were made on which to include.
December 30, 2014
A new kind of war memorial and one that brings life to the many dead to whom we owe so very much.
An interesting project and a beautiful book.
An interesting project and a beautiful book.
June 24, 2018
I'm struggling to come up with a decent summery of this anthology of letters, so in the words of the two people responsible for this project, Neil Bartlett and Kate Pullinger, "this memorial is made of voices - numerous, various, contradictory, heartbroken, angry, sentimental, and true."
Never have I ever read anything about the World Wars with such a diverse, harrowing, intensely personal amount of perspective on the subject. It certainly made me think more about the war, other than it's terrible thing which should be avoided. And it certainly made me feel all manner of complex emotions.
The only gripe I have is that some of the letters were written by writers, poets, journalists (and you could certainly tell the difference). Those by profession, who have a way with words, perhaps took away a little of the "personal touch" from the collection.
Never have I ever read anything about the World Wars with such a diverse, harrowing, intensely personal amount of perspective on the subject. It certainly made me think more about the war, other than it's terrible thing which should be avoided. And it certainly made me feel all manner of complex emotions.
The only gripe I have is that some of the letters were written by writers, poets, journalists (and you could certainly tell the difference). Those by profession, who have a way with words, perhaps took away a little of the "personal touch" from the collection.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews