What do you think?
Rate this book
Guidance from the Greatest: What the World War Two generation can teach us about how we live our lives
'We will overcome it [and] I hope in the years to come, everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge, and those who come after us will say the Britons of this generation were as strong as any' Her Majesty The Queen
The Coronavirus pandemic forced the great British people to dig to the very depths of their resolve. It was during this crisis, the gravest crisis the country has faced since the Second World War, that members of the Greatest Generation - Tom Moore, Dame Vera Lynn, the Queen - proved vital reminders of the self-effacing stoicism required in times of emergency; to summon our 'Blitz spirit' and to 'Keep Calm and Carry On'.
Taking twelve qualities of the wartime generation, including fellowship, courage and integrity, and drawing on personal interviews with over two hundred Second World War veterans - from SAS officers to London firewomen to Dame Vera herself - Guidance from the Greatest shows us how we can improve our individual character and our collective approach to life.
Guidance from the Greatest reminds us of all that is great about Britain and shows how we can build upon that greatness for the future.
The Coronavirus pandemic forced the great British people to dig to the very depths of their resolve. It was during this crisis, the gravest crisis the country has faced since the Second World War, that members of the Greatest Generation - Tom Moore, Dame Vera Lynn, the Queen - proved vital reminders of the self-effacing stoicism required in times of emergency; to summon our 'Blitz spirit' and to 'Keep Calm and Carry On'.
Taking twelve qualities of the wartime generation, including fellowship, courage and integrity, and drawing on personal interviews with over two hundred Second World War veterans - from SAS officers to London firewomen to Dame Vera herself - Guidance from the Greatest shows us how we can improve our individual character and our collective approach to life.
Guidance from the Greatest reminds us of all that is great about Britain and shows how we can build upon that greatness for the future.
224 pages, Paperback
Published October 19, 2021
2 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Gavin Mortimer
64 books22 followersFor a detailed biography, to learn more about all the books I have written and to discover my forthcoming projects, please visit my website at the above link.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 21, 2024
The author, renowned for collecting testimonies through interviews with numerous soldiers and civilians over the years, has extensive knowledge and resources that allow him to draw a portrait of the World War II generation. Mortimer divides his work into twelve chapters, which deal with traits and virtues that some might consider outdated.
One part of the book addresses the growing absence of some virtues that characterize the World War II generation. As veterans pass away, their valuable principles fade with them. As a result, we flounder in the boring world of Twitter and a harmful cancel culture. Everything has become superficial.
The book also accurately states that the values and traits of the World War II generation have not completely died out. Fortunately, keyboard warriors do not represent the entire nation. Today, our politicians, public figures and so-called elites lack moral fabric and strength, yet there are a great many people in society, both young and old, who continue to display a strong sense of duty, humour and decency.
Although he is focused on British society, the work is completely relevant to any nation in Western society. While his warning and alert are very valuable and well-crafted, his work loses consistency due to an intermittent but persistent reference to certain ideological sectors to the detriment of others, thus contributing to the polarisation and social division that he himself denounces.
One part of the book addresses the growing absence of some virtues that characterize the World War II generation. As veterans pass away, their valuable principles fade with them. As a result, we flounder in the boring world of Twitter and a harmful cancel culture. Everything has become superficial.
The book also accurately states that the values and traits of the World War II generation have not completely died out. Fortunately, keyboard warriors do not represent the entire nation. Today, our politicians, public figures and so-called elites lack moral fabric and strength, yet there are a great many people in society, both young and old, who continue to display a strong sense of duty, humour and decency.
Although he is focused on British society, the work is completely relevant to any nation in Western society. While his warning and alert are very valuable and well-crafted, his work loses consistency due to an intermittent but persistent reference to certain ideological sectors to the detriment of others, thus contributing to the polarisation and social division that he himself denounces.
September 9, 2025
Promising premise with some good lessons but largely lots of drivel and moaning about the pandemic. Further more complaining although subtly about woekeism, fanning the flames of a culture war the author continually claims to want no part of. Trying to compare a health crisis to a war is an odd one for me. Less a book to fill you with hope or a get up and go attitude and more a feeling of a slightly intoxicated uncle sharing views he’s gotten from online at Christmas. I’d give this one a miss to be honest.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews