The Imperial War Museum Book of 1918: Year of Victory

by Malcolm Brown

Published on the eightieth anniversary of the 1918 Armistice, this book tells the story of a year during which the casualty lists on all sides were longer, the turns of fortune were most remarkable, and action was most intense.

Genres: History, Military History, World War I, Military Fiction, Nonfiction

392 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Malcolm Brown is a best-selling popular military historian. Originally a television producer specialising in military documentaries, he has been a freelance historian at the Imperial War Museum since 1989. Brown has researched and written extensively on the First and Second World Wars. He is a regular contributor to BBC History Magazine, and lives in Reading.

Reviews

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Malcolm Brown covers the final year of the Great War in a similar style to Lyn MacDonald's great books on World War One. Once again the author uses first-hand accounts of the participants of this dreadful conflict to reveal to the reader the horror of this conflict as seen through the eyes and experiences of the soldiers. With access to the Imperial War Museums archives he utilises the reports, letters, diaries and interviews of the soldiers and civilians on both sides who fought during 1918. I am a prolific reader of history books and I tend to forget sometimes that besides history I am also reading about people. This book is one of those rare books where you fully realise that this is not only history but also flesh and blood. The accounts of some the people in this book are truly sad, they hit home and make you realise that these were real people, individuals caught up in a war of massive scale and destruction.

I would like to present just a few accounts take from this magnificent book to demonstrate why I found this book such a great story of men and war.

This first account is by a 20-year-old Second Lieutenant during an assault on some German positions; "We passed on and quickly reached the objective, a line of trenches along the crest of slightly elevated ground. I jumped down into the German trench followed by a NCO and about eight men. The trench was deserted except for some bodies of dead Germans. Later, I noticed the sad manner of the death of one of these. Evidently a piece of shell had carried away the whole calf of his leg, baring it to the bone. He had dragged half of his body into a `cubby-hole' at the bottom of the trench side, there to die quietly, in the dark, his face hidden from the world. He was respected and grieved for, in death, by at least one enemy soldier." This was after this officer had seen a number of his friends cut down by German defensive fire and having a team of three men operating a Lewis gun in a shell hole with him killed. He picked up the gun and wiped the butt clean of blood and brain and passed it onto other soldiers to continue their advance (Page 211-215).

Another account is from Major F.J. Rice, 82nd Brigade, RFA. His account is about the death of a twenty-four year old Bombardier. He later received a package from the dead soldiers parents which he subsequently forwarded to his own mother with this covering letter; "Will you please put the enclosed away for me somewhere safe? I have always got nice letters back from parents whose sons have been killed in my battery but these seemed exceptionally grateful for my letter and sent me a photo of Bombardier Stone and a sort of memorial ribbon. He was badly wounded during the barrage we fired on Sept. 18th when we were shelled from 5-15 to 6-45 a.m. and we had to go on firing our guns all the time. We had ten casualties during that time (six killed). It was the worst hour and a half I have ever had." (Pages 271-272). The ribbon had a poem, which went on to say:

`How little we thought when we said good-bye, We were parted for ever, and he was to die; Oh, the grief that we feel words can never tell' For we could not be with him to bid him farewell; But Christ will clasp the broken chain Closer when we meet again.'

Sadly the book is full of these sort of stories, the last letters of many men condemned to die on the Western Front but brought back to life by this author to allow us to feel the horror and exhilaration of this final year of the Great War. Many books have covered the German Offensive starting on March 21st 1918, the so-called `Kaiser's Battle'. However this book goes past that point and carries the story to the Allied Counter-Offensive and final victory. The books main focus is on the Western Front but he does not neglect the Home Front nor those areas designated as `Side Shows'.

Overall this is a great story, at first I found it a bit slow to start but after awhile I could not put the book down. I was proud to read about the accomplishments of my own countrymen and I came to fully appreciate the efforts of the British Army, the Canadians, and the Americans. This is an excellent book, written without bias, well researched and well presented. A number of black & white photos are presented to assist the narrative but no maps which I didn't find to be too much of a hindrance. If you enjoy Lyn MacDonald's accounts of World War One you will appreciate this book. It sits along side this authors earlier book on the Somme and all of Lyn MacDonalds books as well.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impressive book covering the Western front during 1918. Apart from the offensives by both the Germans and the Allies, Malcolm Brown covers topics such as the Spanish Flu, demobilisation and briefly, the literary reaction to WW1 from the official histories to the Tommy's memoirs.
I have read a fair amount of first world books over the years and Malcolm Brown is my favourite author. His commentary is both informative and accessible and he shows empathy with the ordeals faced by the soldiers and civilians of a century ago.

[Trawets · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never quite understood how the Allies managed to turn what started off as the year yearv they almost lost the war into the year they finally defeated Germany. I knew that America's entry into the war was a significant factor, but felt there must be more to it than that. Malcolm Brown's book has the answers, and of course it was a whole combination of factors.
Using lots of letters and diaries from all nations and ranks, Malcolm Brown explains how victory was acheived and what it meant to those involved.
A great read.

[Bill Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a bit of getting used to; it jumps quickly from reference to reference. It's obviously well researched and it's an interesting read, but is there is just a little je ne sais quoi that prevented me from being thoroughly absorbed.

[Matthew Calamatta · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the rest of the series, the broad and rich selection of contemporary letters and diary entries make the difference. The collection gives a vivid sense of what people felt and feared and hoped for as they retreated, advanced, got wounded, went on leave or planned for the end.