World War One: The Unheard Stories of Soldiers on the Western Front Battlefields: First World War stories as told by those who fought in WW1 battles

by Various

This collection of heroic soldier's stories relays sobering accounts of combat on the Western Front during the First World War.Evocative and vivid descriptions of the early stages of the conflict populate these pages, from which the reader can gain lessons of the conditions of the stagnant front.

Originally published in 1915, the set of tales within this book offer sobering accounts from various battlefields which took place during the early stages of the war. Although the war was not even halfway over by the time these stories found publication, the horrors of the conflict were already a fact of life, with casualties rapidly mounting on both sides.

At that time public opinion hadn’t yet fully turned against the war, and in Britain – the nationality of all the soldiers here – the need for showing progress was essential to sustain civilian and military morale. All of the soldiers in these pages were already serving in their regiments, or had volunteered for service, when the war commenced. They were commonly professional soldiers, possessed of a natural – even ingrained - patriotism, and more accepting of the official narrative than the increasingly sceptical and fearful citizenry back home. There is however no doubt that many were already disillusioned, and that the stories here are taken from an already thinning group of soldiers still possessed of some shred of belief in the war as a noble, or even glorious, conflict.

Despite the mood which underpins the pages here, one can read between the lines for a picture. The stories are thing got worse between those elated first weeks wherein the French welcomed their allies so gladly, and the war that was to be over by Christmas 1914 was nowhere near ending, and it is in these stories that we witness the germinal seeds of disillusion and hatred of conflict. The majority of the illustrations which originally accompanied these accounts prioritise the heroism of their subjects, while a few offer a toned down presentation of the horrific battlefields.

In this modern edition, we include a number of relevant photographic illustrations alongside the original drawings which accompanied the stories when they were first published. While the imagery of World War I is generally quite ingrained in our minds, these supplementary pictures are designed as on-the-spot reminders of how war was more than a century ago, as well as to provide demonstration of the weapons and technology of the era.

Genres: World War I

135 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2016

About the author

Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).

If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.

Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.

Reviews

[Don Alesi · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a history of the early years of the "The Great War" then this is not the book to read. This is about the individual British foot soldier who fought in the trenches and battlefields during the early part of the war.
The soldiers were interviewed shortly after they were wounded and sent to the rear for treatment of their horrific wounds. The soldiers at the time thought that the war was going well and that their commanding officers were good leaders.
What made this book so compelling was the minute details of what life and death was like in the trenches. You could hear the guns going off in your mind. You could hear the screams of pain, You could mentally picture yourself crawling next to a "Tommie" as he fought just to live another hour. The only thing missing was the stench of warfare and death.
I couldn't put this book down.
I found it more than a coincidence that I finished this book the day after the one hundred year anniversary of the Armistice. If you want a first hand account of life and death of a British soldier, then this is the book to read.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit bitty because it's short stories by different people in different locations but it ended well with longer more detailed accounts

[A. C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Put me there in tge trenches

I've no interest in war histories that focus on political and military strayegy, but I am curious about thr experince of the trooper on the ground, or sea. This book told from first person perspective tge war experiences of British soldiers. It was illuminating and helped me understand the true nature of that war.

[Sarah Goodwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little bit too sanitised to be much use to anyone wanting to write about the war - the stories were previously published during the war and were, I suspect (and this is alluded to in the intro) altered to make them 'appropriate' for the audience at home.

[Russell G Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time travel via the written word. Experience WW1 through the

horrific terrors and agony of some of those who underwent unbelievable moments in the midst of combat while attempting to just do their job.

[mickey mutti]

what waste and stranger way

To have a war and to have to fight . This seems to be from soilder s who on The front line to do the fighting.

[Kristopher Cyrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brave men ,women was a good book

[Amanda Muccio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting perspective of life in the trenches. The casual manner on which all of the grotesque details of death made my heart hurt for those that lived this experience.

[Anouska Loves to Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

What can I say about this book other than it’s ok?
This was another disappointing book for me, it just didn’t live up to the reviews