Sapper Martin: The Secret Great War Diary of Jack Martin

by Richard van Emden

Albert John ('Jack') Martin was a thirty-two-year-old clerk at the Admiralty when he was called up to serve in the army in September 1916. These diaries, written in secret, hidden from his colleagues and only discovered by his family after his return home, present the Great War with heartbreaking clarity, written in a voice as compelling and distinctive as Wilfred Owen or Siegfried Sassoon and all the more extraordinary given that it is not an officer's but that of a private. From his arrival in France and his participation in the Somme, through offensives at Ypres and eventual demobilisation after the Armistice, we see wartime life as it really was for the ordinary Tommy. In these journals, introduced and edited by bestselling First World War historian Richard van Emden, we witness the cheerful Albert Martin getting to grips with life in the trenches and, together with his comrades in the Royal Engineers, confronting the ever-present threat of injury and death. We also see the mundane reality of life at the front line - the arguments with superiors, the joy brought by the arrival of packages from loved ones at home and the appalling conditions in which that attritional war was fought.

Genres: World War I, History, Nonfiction, Biography, War

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 2, 2009

About the author

Richard van Emden is a British author and television documentary producer who specializes in the First World War.

Reviews

[Ginger Monette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. An EXCELLENT book.

In researching for my next book, Darcy's Hope at Donwell Abbey, I chose Sapper Martin as it is one of the few diaries about WWI signalers. My internet search for details about communications in the theater of battle, telephone and telegraph, has turned up very little. Although Jack Martin reveals surprisingly little about his hours spent in signaling offices on the front, be they in a lice-infested dugout or captured German pill-box, the book is rich in detail.

Martin's style is eloquent yet matter of fact. His description of the poor army-issue soap is humorously described as "...hard yellow substance only persuaded to lather by exercise of extreme patience, perseverance, and elbow grease." He makes his point about the difficulties in washing his clothes by stating, "I think washerwomen ought go straight to heaven without any examination whatsoever." His observation that he only has two pipefuls of tobacco gets the comment, "It's a matter of prayer and supplication." Yet the mention of dead bodies and watching a pilot free-fall whose parachute failed to open is reported unceremoniously.

He has several rather insightful monologues on his inside observations of war. One on those who perpetuate the madness of war and profit from it. Another was on the savagery of man in the face of near starvation, intense fear, cold etc, yet that same man's commitment to his comrades.

Martin details: long, exhausting marches with little food or rest; his frequently changing billeting/signal office quarters; repeated 'strafe' from 'Fritz;' constant co-habitation with rats and lice; correspondence to/from his fiance; food concoctions the men cooked; and on and on. I took twenty pages of notes. If I had known how rich in daily-life detail the book would be, I would have bought and highlighted instead of checking it out from the library. I read the acclaimed book by Robert Graves Goodbye to All That, but enjoyed this one much more.

Overall, SapperMartin is an outstanding read which gives a thorough picture of a sapper's Western Front experience written by 'plain soldier' with a knack for descriptive writing.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

c2009. This was a recommendation from The Times and the write up was intriguing. It was a very special read. The absolute horror of the First World War is described in a very matter of fact way tempered by brief mentions of his comrades in arms. A lot of the diary is taken up with mentions of the weather and general day to day life in the trenches. It is different to any other type of book that I have read about the First World War and it really re-inforces my belief that humans are able to get used to anything and to make a routine of things. It is the upset of the routine that causes the stress and drama. Through out the book, though, Sapper Martin's own sense of humour comes to light and is a fellow that must have been great company during the worst of times. He describes his deliberate flouting of many of the "Discipline" principles mainly as a matter of honour rather than for any scurrilous reason. Great book and would recommend to all. "The absurdity and utterly imbecility of war only becomes more apparent the longer one is out here."

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

What was notable for me was the long stretches where Jack does not write. Then his next entry will say something about "soul-destroying horror". He has had to pick up his morale, or his strength, before again picking up his pen. From his tone and from a single sentence we can learn so much about his experience. For example: "it is generally true that after passing through a period of suffering we remember the little bits of pleasure which attended it more than the suffering itself." There are other phrases and sentences like this that I choose to highlight and remember.

[Avril · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it, finishing a book in a few days is always a good sign. An articulate other ranks view of life in the trenches of the western front and a short interlude in Italy. Richard Van Emden after a good introduction used a light touch on the rest of the book, only adding occasional clarification to put Albert's narrative in the context of wider events where Albert hadn't done that himself.

Would recommend to anyone interested in the WWI.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a first person account of war, it's outstanding -- and the eloquence of the author is quite amazing for a man who didn't go to university at that time. My only complaints are (1) later battle entries tend to blur together for me in my mind, and (2) I would have loved to read descriptions of life while on leave...but these are minor quibbles.

[Richard Fieldhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

We just have no idea what suffering means

[Kazimiera pendrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was one of the best first world war memoirs that i have ever read i would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of historical memoirs

[Mark Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its good to read the account of an 'other rank' during WW1 as most seem to be written by officers. This is a lively account from 1916 until the army of occupation of 1919. It is well written and to be honest a compelling read. Jack Martin was an ordinary bloke called to arms, its a great read.

[Jan Chlapowski Söderlund · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mundane writing set in an exceptional era. A colourless description of the Great War.

A soldier manages to record his actions and thoughts throughout the time he takes part in the conflict. Unfortunately I found no sympathy at all for the author. Rather inane, myopic and concentrated on either eating, scrounging for food or being petty. To me, it confirms an observation made by George Orwell in his book '1984'; "in moments of crisis, one is never fighting an external enemy, but always against one's own body."

Nonetheless, I believe this is a very realistic account of how soldiering was during World War I. For the people who survived, the occasional fierce battles and killings were probably only occasional breaks in a much more monotonous life. A monotony with the added danger that if you let your guard down, at any time a sniper or a shell might get you.


I took this book in in the form of an audiobook. And the unfavourable impression of the book may come from the fact that the actor/reader was one of the most horrendous audiobook-readers I've listened to so far. Reading as if the book was written by a constantly surprised child or intended for a truly retarded audience. Pardon my expression, but it is unforgivable that inept people like this get commissioned to record audiobooks.

[Rod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a bit of a WW2 aficionado this was a departure for me, back to WW1. Glad I did, as this excellent book gave a great insight into an ordinary, but intelligent man's war. The book left you feeling that this was a man you would have been pleased to call a friend. It also reinforced the fact that survival is so often a matter of luck.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting book highlighting the actual diary of a solider in the great war and you get to feel how they felt and what was happening and how the reality pushed a man to his limits

[Sue Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling first hand account of life in the trenches from the perspective of a signaller in the First World War. Well worth reading.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique document as WWI soldiers were forbidden to keep diaries. Also special because it covers the Royal Engineers. Interesting and fresh. A few pictures.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

good but dragged in parts