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Percy A Story of 1918
In 1918, Percy Edwards was conscripted into the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and sent to the front. He served there only three weeks before being killed in action, one of more than 700,000 British soldiers to die in the war. This book tells his story—and, by extension, the story of the British experience of the war.
Drawing on a cache of letters found in a flea market a few years ago, Percy brings the experience of the final year of the war to life. Peter Doyle sets Edwards’s own words in context with war diaries, accounts of battle, and newspaper stories, using them all to weave a story for young readers of what it was like to find yourself suddenly in a foreign land facing grave danger with your fellow citizens. With illustrations by Tim Godden, Percy is an unforgettable account of youth and war.
Drawing on a cache of letters found in a flea market a few years ago, Percy brings the experience of the final year of the war to life. Peter Doyle sets Edwards’s own words in context with war diaries, accounts of battle, and newspaper stories, using them all to weave a story for young readers of what it was like to find yourself suddenly in a foreign land facing grave danger with your fellow citizens. With illustrations by Tim Godden, Percy is an unforgettable account of youth and war.
- GenresWar
112 pages, Paperback
Published March 15, 2019
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 18, 2019
“So It Was That Percy, Born In A Mining Village To A Family Of Coal Miners, Could Not Escape The Army. He Would Be A Soldier Boy.”
What A Book! I May Be Biased As I’m From The Same Village As Percy And I Found This Book Extremely Personal.
I Found It Strange Reading About Places I Know But In A Time I Don’t Know Much About.
Since Reading This Book And Telling My 8 Year Old Daughter About It, We Have Visited The Mentioned Places To Take Pictures And Remember Percy. It’s Educated Her More About Where Shes From, Whats Around Her And Our Local History.
Such A Sad But Fascinating Book. It Really Is A Story Of The Everyday Man From Rural Areas - Conscripted Into A War That They Hadn’t Been Properly Trained For And Weren’t Really Expected To Come Back From.
It’s Sad To Think Percy And Others Like Him Had Dreams For Their Futures, That Were Cut Cruelly Short And Our Gratitude Towards Them For What They Gave For Us, Just Doesn’t Seem Enough. I’m Proud To Say, I Come From The Same Village As Percy
What A Book! I May Be Biased As I’m From The Same Village As Percy And I Found This Book Extremely Personal.
I Found It Strange Reading About Places I Know But In A Time I Don’t Know Much About.
Since Reading This Book And Telling My 8 Year Old Daughter About It, We Have Visited The Mentioned Places To Take Pictures And Remember Percy. It’s Educated Her More About Where Shes From, Whats Around Her And Our Local History.
Such A Sad But Fascinating Book. It Really Is A Story Of The Everyday Man From Rural Areas - Conscripted Into A War That They Hadn’t Been Properly Trained For And Weren’t Really Expected To Come Back From.
It’s Sad To Think Percy And Others Like Him Had Dreams For Their Futures, That Were Cut Cruelly Short And Our Gratitude Towards Them For What They Gave For Us, Just Doesn’t Seem Enough. I’m Proud To Say, I Come From The Same Village As Percy
October 15, 2018
Excellent story - will be recommending for both (Primary) KS2 (Years 5/6 = Grades 4/5) library and (Secondary) KS3 (Years 7/8 = Grades 6/7) library, and if any of them are covering WWI will suggest a class set.
February 24, 2023
If I could give this book more stars I definitely would
December 11, 2025
seemed to be written at a young adult level. A description of one of the tommies
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews