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A Boy from Botwood: Pte. A.W. Manuel, Royal Newfoundland Regiment, 1914-1919
Newfoundlander Arthur Manuel’s retelling of his harrowing First World War experiences are raw and real. Painstakingly researched after the long-hidden manuscript’s discovery by Bryan Davies and Andrew Traficante, this is an account without parallel in the Canadian experience of the Great War.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 21, 2017
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April 29, 2018
A Boy From Botwood by Bryan Davies and Andrew Traficante
A Boy From Botwood is the personal account of the World War One experiences of Private Arthur W. Manuel; a common soldier in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. Born 1895 in the “impoverished rural village” of Botwood, Newfoundland, Canada, Arthur’s formal education ended in Grade Seven when he began working at a sawmill. He enlisted in 1914. Of the ten volunteers who’d joined with him, Arthur was one of three who survived to return home. He fought at Gallipoli (1915), Beaumont-Hamel (Somme July 1916) and Passchendaele (August 1917). A German prisoner of war, he was discharged in 1919. Arthur died in London, Ontario in 1984. During his life, Arthur refused to discuss the war. In 1980 and without anyone’s knowledge, however, he recorded his stories. By chance in 2011, his grandson, David Manual, discovered the tapes and transcripts in an unmarked shoebox. Arthur left no explanation as to his reasons for having done this. Though the authors’ verified his comments for accuracy and added valuable information to provide a framework for the book, they changed Arthur’s words little and hence, it is his story they have brought to life.
Through Arthur’s perspective, A Boy From Botwood details the grim conditions to which soldiers subjected, the horrors of trench warfare, the dreadful casualties incurred, the failures and incompetence of campaigns fought and the brutality of German labor camps.
I found this book incredibly emotional and have highlighted a few poignant examples.
This section in Chapter Four: Beaumont-Hamel, July 1916 on page forty-eight speaks to a solder-sniper:
“No special courage is required to shoot at someone who is already shooting at you and your friends, or who is coming at you with a bayonet. It is either his life or yours…….Having the head of some poor unsuspecting man or boy lined up in the sights of a powerful telescopic rifle,….Not only could it cause a sensitive, conscientious person to feel sick and dirty for days and weeks, it could haunt and torment him for as long as he lived.”
This section in Chapter Six: Passchendaele, August 1917 on page eighty-eight speaks to conditions in German labor camps:
“Nothing, unless in some way connected with food, has meaning. Not even the loss of a loved one or something as dreadful as a worldwide disaster would be drastic enough to take his mind from the constant and continual craving for something to eat….Starving, he thinks only of crusts of bread, fats, drippings, and all the precious scraps of food being thrown in the many garbage cans by the very fortunate people who prepared and cooked more than they could eat.”
And finally, I’d like to note Chapter Nine: Armistice, November 1918. Arthur addresses the difficulties soldiers confronted when discharged with respect to the lack of mental health services, the absence of programes to ease integration, no government pensions or financial assistance as well as obstacles to finding work in the face of a changing employment sector complicated with mixed social attitudes.
The following quote about a discharged soldier from page one-hundred forty-six speaks to the effects of war:
“The fresh and carefree look of youth had long since disappeared; young men had suddenly become old men and had missed all the pleasures of life in between.”
Private Arthur W. Manuel has given us his version of certain events during and after World War One. A harrowing telling of a period in our collective history, it compels the reader to contemplate the purpose of war plus question why it continues to plague our world.
Marianne Perry
Writing inspired by genealogical research to solve family mysteries.
www.marianneperry.ca
A Boy From Botwood is the personal account of the World War One experiences of Private Arthur W. Manuel; a common soldier in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. Born 1895 in the “impoverished rural village” of Botwood, Newfoundland, Canada, Arthur’s formal education ended in Grade Seven when he began working at a sawmill. He enlisted in 1914. Of the ten volunteers who’d joined with him, Arthur was one of three who survived to return home. He fought at Gallipoli (1915), Beaumont-Hamel (Somme July 1916) and Passchendaele (August 1917). A German prisoner of war, he was discharged in 1919. Arthur died in London, Ontario in 1984. During his life, Arthur refused to discuss the war. In 1980 and without anyone’s knowledge, however, he recorded his stories. By chance in 2011, his grandson, David Manual, discovered the tapes and transcripts in an unmarked shoebox. Arthur left no explanation as to his reasons for having done this. Though the authors’ verified his comments for accuracy and added valuable information to provide a framework for the book, they changed Arthur’s words little and hence, it is his story they have brought to life.
Through Arthur’s perspective, A Boy From Botwood details the grim conditions to which soldiers subjected, the horrors of trench warfare, the dreadful casualties incurred, the failures and incompetence of campaigns fought and the brutality of German labor camps.
I found this book incredibly emotional and have highlighted a few poignant examples.
This section in Chapter Four: Beaumont-Hamel, July 1916 on page forty-eight speaks to a solder-sniper:
“No special courage is required to shoot at someone who is already shooting at you and your friends, or who is coming at you with a bayonet. It is either his life or yours…….Having the head of some poor unsuspecting man or boy lined up in the sights of a powerful telescopic rifle,….Not only could it cause a sensitive, conscientious person to feel sick and dirty for days and weeks, it could haunt and torment him for as long as he lived.”
This section in Chapter Six: Passchendaele, August 1917 on page eighty-eight speaks to conditions in German labor camps:
“Nothing, unless in some way connected with food, has meaning. Not even the loss of a loved one or something as dreadful as a worldwide disaster would be drastic enough to take his mind from the constant and continual craving for something to eat….Starving, he thinks only of crusts of bread, fats, drippings, and all the precious scraps of food being thrown in the many garbage cans by the very fortunate people who prepared and cooked more than they could eat.”
And finally, I’d like to note Chapter Nine: Armistice, November 1918. Arthur addresses the difficulties soldiers confronted when discharged with respect to the lack of mental health services, the absence of programes to ease integration, no government pensions or financial assistance as well as obstacles to finding work in the face of a changing employment sector complicated with mixed social attitudes.
The following quote about a discharged soldier from page one-hundred forty-six speaks to the effects of war:
“The fresh and carefree look of youth had long since disappeared; young men had suddenly become old men and had missed all the pleasures of life in between.”
Private Arthur W. Manuel has given us his version of certain events during and after World War One. A harrowing telling of a period in our collective history, it compels the reader to contemplate the purpose of war plus question why it continues to plague our world.
Marianne Perry
Writing inspired by genealogical research to solve family mysteries.
www.marianneperry.ca
December 26, 2016
Recently I had a chance to read an advance copy of A Boy from Botwood, which I just finished. The book is due out in January 2017.
Although there has never been a war that was fought nicely, the trench style of warfare fought in the first world war sounds utterly horrible. The years since has taught us how inept the generals were in their strategy to wage the war against the Germans. Their attitude that machine guns were just a fad in the war and to tell their troops to just walk across no-mans land when attacking instead of charging across it, shows they had no concept on how to lead.
Much of that comes through in this book. Manuel constantly shows contempt for the ones in charge, sitting back safely in England, eating well and sipping brandy while their troops eat slop, fight off rats and lice, while suffering from a variety of diseases.
Manuel gives us a first hand, up close look at what it was like to be a soldier on the British side, and after taken captive, how German life in the trenches was far more comfortable for their soldiers. He lived through the hell of a slave labour camp and his account of his escape is an amazing dramatic read.
This book is an incredible eye witness account of the life of a World War One allied soldier and is well worth reading.
Although there has never been a war that was fought nicely, the trench style of warfare fought in the first world war sounds utterly horrible. The years since has taught us how inept the generals were in their strategy to wage the war against the Germans. Their attitude that machine guns were just a fad in the war and to tell their troops to just walk across no-mans land when attacking instead of charging across it, shows they had no concept on how to lead.
Much of that comes through in this book. Manuel constantly shows contempt for the ones in charge, sitting back safely in England, eating well and sipping brandy while their troops eat slop, fight off rats and lice, while suffering from a variety of diseases.
Manuel gives us a first hand, up close look at what it was like to be a soldier on the British side, and after taken captive, how German life in the trenches was far more comfortable for their soldiers. He lived through the hell of a slave labour camp and his account of his escape is an amazing dramatic read.
This book is an incredible eye witness account of the life of a World War One allied soldier and is well worth reading.
November 29, 2016
This is a real humdinger of a book. His recollections, tied together by bits of background are easy to read and crystal clear. That a man who refused to ever speak of his war service, could so cogently but it together is amazing.
Anyone who has any interest in World War I must read this.
Anyone who has any interest in World War I must read this.
April 17, 2017
Fantastic book! Found by the author's grandson in 2011, the notes and voice recordings stored away have been published by Dundurn Press. Here is the Great War described by a front line soldier, one that was fortunate to survive the Dardanelles, the Somme, and Passchendaele, being captured, escaping, and being recaptured. Amazing but true. A must-read for those interested in WWI history.
Full revire here: http://bit.ly/botwood
Full revire here: http://bit.ly/botwood
February 10, 2017
**I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Dundern via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**
At 83-years old, Arthur Manuel bought a dictaphone and recorded his memories of serving in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during World War I from 1914-1919. He never spoke of his war experiences with anyone. His recordings and notes were lost amid other family records until 2011 when they were discovered by his grandson, David Manuel. By the time his narrative was discovered, Arthur Manuel was long dead, but because he recorded his memories, the story of the soldiers from Newfoundland that he served with 100-years ago still survives.
A Boy from Botwood alternates between Manuel's first person accounts of his experiences in the war and background information supplied by authors Bryan Davies and Andrew Traficante. Manuel starts his tale by talking about Newfoundland in the early 1900s. Many young men eagerly joined the war because they wanted to escape the poverty and desperation of home and explore the world. Little did they realize what horrors they would experience. And none of them realized that a large percentage of them would die and never return home. Manuel talks of horrific conditions, illness, life in the trenches, the terrors of battle, and his experiences as a POW.
I am so glad that this book was published. Not only does it bring to life the extreme conditions and violence of World War I, but it preserves a first-person account of what it was like to be a soldier at Gallipolli, The Battle of the Somme and other key historic events. Manuel gives more than just a recollection of events. He describes his anger and disappointment in allied leadership, his sadness at the loss of so many of his comrades, and the extreme stress, fatigue and fear each soldier felt on a daily basis.
Bryan Davies and Andrew Traficante did an excellent job of organizing Manuel's memoir from his recordings. They added in background information explaining the events, locales, troops and military leaders Manuel discusses so that readers get a deeper understanding of Manuel's experiences. His hatred of war and the immense destruction it caused did not diminish with time. Manuel states in his narrative that after the war he never again owned or fired a gun.
This is a powerfully moving book. Anyone interested in World War I history would definitely enjoy this memoir.
A Boy from Botwood will be published by Dundern on February 14, 2017.
At 83-years old, Arthur Manuel bought a dictaphone and recorded his memories of serving in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during World War I from 1914-1919. He never spoke of his war experiences with anyone. His recordings and notes were lost amid other family records until 2011 when they were discovered by his grandson, David Manuel. By the time his narrative was discovered, Arthur Manuel was long dead, but because he recorded his memories, the story of the soldiers from Newfoundland that he served with 100-years ago still survives.
A Boy from Botwood alternates between Manuel's first person accounts of his experiences in the war and background information supplied by authors Bryan Davies and Andrew Traficante. Manuel starts his tale by talking about Newfoundland in the early 1900s. Many young men eagerly joined the war because they wanted to escape the poverty and desperation of home and explore the world. Little did they realize what horrors they would experience. And none of them realized that a large percentage of them would die and never return home. Manuel talks of horrific conditions, illness, life in the trenches, the terrors of battle, and his experiences as a POW.
I am so glad that this book was published. Not only does it bring to life the extreme conditions and violence of World War I, but it preserves a first-person account of what it was like to be a soldier at Gallipolli, The Battle of the Somme and other key historic events. Manuel gives more than just a recollection of events. He describes his anger and disappointment in allied leadership, his sadness at the loss of so many of his comrades, and the extreme stress, fatigue and fear each soldier felt on a daily basis.
Bryan Davies and Andrew Traficante did an excellent job of organizing Manuel's memoir from his recordings. They added in background information explaining the events, locales, troops and military leaders Manuel discusses so that readers get a deeper understanding of Manuel's experiences. His hatred of war and the immense destruction it caused did not diminish with time. Manuel states in his narrative that after the war he never again owned or fired a gun.
This is a powerfully moving book. Anyone interested in World War I history would definitely enjoy this memoir.
A Boy from Botwood will be published by Dundern on February 14, 2017.
December 4, 2016
Arthur Manuel was a young man living in Newfoundland, then still a United Kingdom colony, when the first World War (the Great War) broke out. Growing up in poverty and not having a lot of opportunities, Manuel joined the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (RNR) and was sent overseas to fight a war with little training. This is his story of his experiences from 1914 to 1919, as a soldier and prisoner of war.
We all know the horrors of war but this book provides Arthur's version firsthand. He tells of his disdain for the leaders heading up the English military who publicly broadcasted that things were going well when, in fact, they weren't. Arthur's fellow soldiers and friends were getting massacred in battles they had no chance of winning. He tells of his experiences as a prisoner of war ... some of the camps they were treated badly and starved whereas others the Germans were civil to them.
Arthur never spoke of any of this until 1980 when he bought a dictation machine and recorded his story. He had it transcribed and then it got packed away until it was discovered by his grandson almost thirty years later (Arthur was long gone by this time).
I enjoyed the writing style of this book. It is in Arthur's words, with interjections from the authors to explain what was going on at the time. Though it is a difficult book to read because of Arthur's experiences, it was also very interesting and illuminating to the horrors of war to a poor boy from Newfoundland.
Gord has distant relatives in Newfoundland with the last name Manuel ... I imagine he is related to Arthur somehow. One of these days, I'll see if I can figure it out.
http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2016/12...
We all know the horrors of war but this book provides Arthur's version firsthand. He tells of his disdain for the leaders heading up the English military who publicly broadcasted that things were going well when, in fact, they weren't. Arthur's fellow soldiers and friends were getting massacred in battles they had no chance of winning. He tells of his experiences as a prisoner of war ... some of the camps they were treated badly and starved whereas others the Germans were civil to them.
Arthur never spoke of any of this until 1980 when he bought a dictation machine and recorded his story. He had it transcribed and then it got packed away until it was discovered by his grandson almost thirty years later (Arthur was long gone by this time).
I enjoyed the writing style of this book. It is in Arthur's words, with interjections from the authors to explain what was going on at the time. Though it is a difficult book to read because of Arthur's experiences, it was also very interesting and illuminating to the horrors of war to a poor boy from Newfoundland.
Gord has distant relatives in Newfoundland with the last name Manuel ... I imagine he is related to Arthur somehow. One of these days, I'll see if I can figure it out.
http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2016/12...
December 9, 2016
*I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
I've read a few different wartime accounts before, though admittedly mostly from the second world war. What I've read before was different from this. A Boy From Botwood gives an in-depth look not only at what it was like as a prisoner of war, but also what it's like on the frontlines. For me, this was a really interesting aspect, previously I've only really read accounts of nurse's and the occasional account from doctors or men higher up in position. Getting a realistic account of what it was like on the frontlines, was really interesting and it's made me want to read more of this type of work.
Told with great detail and emotion, this story is definitely something I would recommend if you're interested in wartime history.
I've read a few different wartime accounts before, though admittedly mostly from the second world war. What I've read before was different from this. A Boy From Botwood gives an in-depth look not only at what it was like as a prisoner of war, but also what it's like on the frontlines. For me, this was a really interesting aspect, previously I've only really read accounts of nurse's and the occasional account from doctors or men higher up in position. Getting a realistic account of what it was like on the frontlines, was really interesting and it's made me want to read more of this type of work.
Told with great detail and emotion, this story is definitely something I would recommend if you're interested in wartime history.
December 1, 2018
I enjoyed this book because it paralleled my Grandfather' time, locations and experiences(according to his military records) during WWI. A.W. Manuel never talked about the war (neither did my Grandfather) but when he was in his 80's he felt the need to tell the story. He did just that and then put the information away only to be found, after he died, by his grandson who felt that it needed to be shared. This book gave me a better understanding of what my own Grandfather experienced, the war itself, no real training, being shot and in the hospital and then being a POW. And like A.W. Manuel the stories my family knew about his time in the war did not tell the whole story.
February 1, 2017
***Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review***
As an educator, I would feel comfortable recommending this book to students during our historical fiction unit. It's nice to see a memoir about World War I. There aren't many books in general about WWI, at least compared to WWII, and they tend to be written at a higher reading level.
However, I did not like how the book was organized. It jumps back and forth from one memory to the other, with the editors commenting in between vignettes. This broke up the action and made it confusing at times to follow.
As an educator, I would feel comfortable recommending this book to students during our historical fiction unit. It's nice to see a memoir about World War I. There aren't many books in general about WWI, at least compared to WWII, and they tend to be written at a higher reading level.
However, I did not like how the book was organized. It jumps back and forth from one memory to the other, with the editors commenting in between vignettes. This broke up the action and made it confusing at times to follow.
Read
December 22, 2016A remarkably honest and emotional account of WWI from a soldier who was on the front lines.
February 16, 2020
60 years after serving in the Newfoundland Regiment during the Great War, Arthur Manuel told his story in private, recording it on tape and having it transcribed. He then placed it in an unmarked shoe box which was discovered by his son after Arthur had died.
The authors / editors say there was nothing outstanding about Arthur’s involvement in the war. Maybe not but this book is a great addition to the growing body of literature on the Regiment.
There are three main things that stand out. While most soldiers hold the military leaders and aristocrats is disdain, Arthur clearly holds them in utter contempt and probably rightly so in many cases. He doesn’t mince words.
Arthur also spent 17 months in a Prisoner of War camp and this is the first account that I have read about a member of the regiment’s experiences in such a camp.
Finally, he clearly remembers and highlights individuals on both sides that stood out to him for their kindness, generosity and humour. He holds everyone to the same standard regardless of which side they were on; his friends Nd comrades, German soldiers, a nun, and German doctors.
Arthur’s words make it understandable why he didn’t talk about his experiences for 60 years and while no one knows why he decided to record his experiences when he was 83, I am grateful that he did and that Davis and Traficante were able to share them more broadly.
The authors / editors say there was nothing outstanding about Arthur’s involvement in the war. Maybe not but this book is a great addition to the growing body of literature on the Regiment.
There are three main things that stand out. While most soldiers hold the military leaders and aristocrats is disdain, Arthur clearly holds them in utter contempt and probably rightly so in many cases. He doesn’t mince words.
Arthur also spent 17 months in a Prisoner of War camp and this is the first account that I have read about a member of the regiment’s experiences in such a camp.
Finally, he clearly remembers and highlights individuals on both sides that stood out to him for their kindness, generosity and humour. He holds everyone to the same standard regardless of which side they were on; his friends Nd comrades, German soldiers, a nun, and German doctors.
Arthur’s words make it understandable why he didn’t talk about his experiences for 60 years and while no one knows why he decided to record his experiences when he was 83, I am grateful that he did and that Davis and Traficante were able to share them more broadly.
June 19, 2018
An incredible story. He had a few things to get off his chest and we're better for it. If he were American Hollywood would be making and re-making this book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews