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Many a Summer
From the back of the book:
This is a simple but enchanting story of a gentle but courageous man. George Everett was a farm worker born before the turn of the century. He began harvesting with a scythe, and didn't leave the land until the combine harvester had arrived. In his own words he tells of the hardships and the satisfactions of country life in a very different age. He tells, too, of the old customs and superstitions. He might never have left the village but for the First World War. Hiss account of fighting in the trenches, and at the front during the Battle of the Somme, is at once matter-of-fact and tensely exciting. The story is full of the atmosphere of another time, and in the telling we come to know a fine old countryman.
This is a simple but enchanting story of a gentle but courageous man. George Everett was a farm worker born before the turn of the century. He began harvesting with a scythe, and didn't leave the land until the combine harvester had arrived. In his own words he tells of the hardships and the satisfactions of country life in a very different age. He tells, too, of the old customs and superstitions. He might never have left the village but for the First World War. Hiss account of fighting in the trenches, and at the front during the Battle of the Somme, is at once matter-of-fact and tensely exciting. The story is full of the atmosphere of another time, and in the telling we come to know a fine old countryman.
150 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 14, 2020
A story of a gentle country man, George Everett, born at the turn of the century in a village in South Suffolk, Boxford. Its a seemingly idyllic time, before world war one, now long gone. But you realise that times were tough, money was short, not quite so nostalgic as it seemed at first, nevertheless a charming tale.
June 3, 2024
A gift from my father-in-law from his father's book collection. This should be a well-known classic of the old time memoir genre, up there with the likes of Akenfield. It's beautifully written, about the life of Mid Suffolk born George Everett from Boxford, which is not far from where I grew up, and where some of my maternal grandfather's ancestors came from. George was born at Bower House Tye in 1893, a hamlet up the hill from Boxford, and on page 12 I learnt his grandfather lived next door to my great-great-grandfather's older brother John and his family. We start from his earliest memories, through school and starting work on the farm, then off to the Great War. Lots of detail about farm work pre tractors but plenty more to enjoy here.
April 19, 2025
A beautifully written book about the life of my great-great uncle George. It captures the atmosphere of a different time, simpler in many ways, when those working on the land were naturally attuned to the weather, the seasons, the animals. As George's story goes through the 20th century, he speaks simply but powerfully about his experience in World War 1, about the gradual changes in farming practices, and the impact (often limited) of political movement on the local community. His practical and kind approach to life is one to admire.
October 21, 2019
A man at home with horses even in WW1
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews