Behind the Lines

by W.F. Morris

I never saw the man again, alive or dead. One will say that I saw him only for a moment, that it was misty at the time, and that even I did not recognise the features, covered as they were with grime and stubble. Yet I am sure that the taller of the two ragged civilians I saw in the chalk quarry that misty March morning of 1918 was that Lieutenant Peter Rawley, R. F.A., who the official records stated was killed near Arras the previous autumn. Behind the Lines is a thriller that follows on from the success of W. F. Morris s first novel, Bretherton: Khaki or Field-Grey? Morris is again concerned with questions of identity, allegiance, chance, concealment and self-discovery. A subaltern is forced to flee when he accidentally kills an overbearing, taunting fellow officer: appearances are all against him and he does not trust to trench justice. He becomes a fugitive and has to join forces with other deserters, lost soldiers and outlaws in a hand-to-mouth existence in the no man s land between opposing forces. A series of adventures and disasters ensue, including capture by the Germans and near death by firing squad. Only his own bravery and the devotion of his fiance can rescue him from his plight.A contemporary commentator noted that in spite of the flood of war books, Morris was able to achieve a quite different viewpoint from all the others, and his book was an outstanding success ."

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classics, War, Novels

314 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1930

About the author

Walter Frederick Morris (1892 - 1969) was an English novelist, best known for his mystery novel, ‘Bretherton’ (1929), set in World War I. Critic A.C. Ward praised this as "an adventure-mystery war-novel with an admirably ingenious and leak-proof plot. This book combines a brilliant exercise of creative imagination with a remarkable ability to reproduce, vividly, first-hand experiences, and there is one brief battle-scene…which is memorable." Spy novelist Eric Ambler named the book as one of his top five spy stories (in the Afterword to the 1952 edition of his Epitaph for a Spy). In total, he wrote ten novels.

Morris served with the 13th Cycle Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment during WWI, reaching the rank of Major at age 27, and was awarded the Military Cross (MC).

Reviews

[Yibbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was too descriptive of the drunken reveling of some officers and women. I can guess what the author is trying to set up, but I don’t want to read it. It’s not spelled out just mentioned that there are many lude remarks being made etc. If the author felt he had to write about that type of scene, there are more delicate ways of handling it.
This is the second book by this author that I’ve read and the language is significantly worse. I’m only 16% of the way through the book and there have been lots of swear words.
I don’t see it getting better, so I’m going to quit.
I received this book for free from NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A war story with a difference and a very enjoyable one too. It’s the story of Peter Rawley who reluctantly goes AWOL after he accidentally kills a fellow officer and decides he has no option but to go on the run. He meets up with some other deserters and what follows is a vivid account of life on the Western front. It’s all very boy’s own adventure-ish, but cleverly plotted and well-paced with an unusual story-line. I’ve certainly not read about deserters in this way in any other war book. The horror and confusion of war are authentically and vividly portrayed as is the banter between the men - soldiers and officers alike. What doesn’t work so well is the romance, which is very clichéd indeed, but overall this is a really readable and engaging story and I’m glad to see it reissued for a new audience.

[Myra Flowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is part of a series called, "Casemate Classic War Fiction." I love the feel of these books, and the artwork on the covers. This is the 3rd book by WF Morris I have read, "Pagan," "Bretherton," and this. "Pagan" was my favorite. I love WF Morris' work because he fought in WW1 and knows of what he is writing . This book is a strange, compelling tale of a man who accidentally kills an officer and flees from his comrades. I enjoyed the story and the ending. Some things we would judge in peacetime can be judged differently in war. After reading a lot of WW1 fiction and nonfiction, I have a small understanding of the horror and awful conditions in that war. I think every war book is essentially an anti-war book, no glory in war. The ending is ok and the book is a worthwhile read.

[Linda Fallows · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good tale set in the First World War. If you love wartime tales written from the soldiers point of view, then this is for you.

[Jeremy Reppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Behind the Lines" was an enjoyable story about what life might have been like for a British soldier in WWI. All things considered, Peter Rawley was having a "good" war. As an officer in an artillery unit, he and his men were not expected to attempt to cross no-man's land and capture German trenches like the infantry grunts. The job was still dangerous, as the German artillery was pounding the British lines as much as the British were pounding the Germans, and there was plenty to do when on the line even if the battery was not actively engaged. Other than one fellow officer, Rumbald, who was pompous, uncouth, and a shirker, Rawley liked the other officers and men in his unit. He did not mind the unpleasantries of military life. Moreover, he met a British Army nurse, Berney Travers, who eventually became his fiancée. However, fate intervened and turned the tables on him. He got into a fight with a fellow officer, who was accidentally killed during the fight. Having killed a fellow officer, and afraid that the military authorities would not believe it was an accident, Rawley became a deserter. The majority of the story focuses on his efforts to survive after deserting his unit. Life as a deserter was much less pleasant and more perilous. Rawley was forced to confront moral dilemmas, having to do things he normally would have never considered doing, and having to decide to what lengths he was willing to go to survive. He also displayed considerable ingenuity and he was adept at taking advantage of fortuitous opportunities. Will Rawley survive the war? Will he see Berney again? You will have to read the story to find out.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Mystica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time I am reading a story from the other side of the lines. WWI and II has brought about a plethora of books. All very good reading. This is a story of someone who is a deserter who kills a fellow officer and then joins a rag tag group of men, on the border lines of the actual action, scrounging a living from the dregs remaining of actual warfare and somehow surviving.


Peter kills an officer and is convinced that he will not get a fair hearing. He is sure he will be tried and hanged for this offence. He has no choice but to flee but he lives in torment as to what he has been forced to give up. The chance of love because he just met a young lady who has taken his fancy, his family back in England and the goodwill and reputation he had as a very good man in the army itself.


Trying to balance his life with the fugitives with whom he has thrown his lot, he must also avoid capture by the Germans, try to regain contact with his girl and fall on her understanding and mercy for his absence and lack of communication and try to come to grips with life again.

Very well told for such a harrowing background, you root for Peter all the way.

[Homerun2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

W.F. Morris' World War 1 novels are an amazing trove of first-hand trench experience. The brutality and imcomprehensibility of the Great War are really the main characters.

In Behind the Lines, protagonist Rawley is a very decent chap who finds himself forced to become a deserter after accidentally killing a sadistic, lazy, and cowardly comrade. The next portion of the novel details his scramble to stay alive and elude capture, all while convinced of the utter hopelessness of his life.

The storyline is intriguing, and ultimately rewarding, but the battlefield narrative is stunning and reaches out through a century of history to blind us again with the harsh truths of World War 1.

I was provided a copy of this book via Net Galley in return for my honest review.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two young men, Tankard and Rawley decide to enlist in the army, and later meet for a few minutes while in France. The next time Tankard believes he sees Rawley is in front of a German firing squad, as he also has been taken prisoner. This is Tankard's First World War tale.
For the most part this is quite a depressing story, hardly surprising concerning the topic. But worthwhile if this is a genre that you enjoy reading.
A NetGalley Book

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid, action-filled entry for the literature of WWI - it's not All Quiet on the Western Front, I think it leans a bit too British adventure for that and perhaps it's an unfair comparison anyway, but there is a level of casual realness to the violence (both war-based and man-to-man) and Mr. Morris does make the reader feel the trench warfare to an admirable degree.

I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.