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The Autobiography of the British Soldier: From Agincourt to Basra, in His Own Words
From Agincourt to Waterloo, from Dunkirk to the Gulf War, and everywhere in between, one man has served in all these battles. This is the story of Britain at war from the perspective of that man. It is the autobiography of the British soldier. In a comprehensive series of first-hand accounts, this anthology offers a huge variety of views on the experience of from a letter written by Oliver Cromwell to the Speaker of Parliament, to a First World War's soldier's last letter home to his son, and a powerful description of what it was like to be on the Sir Galahad when it was hit by a missile in the Falklands conflict of the 80s, right up to life as a soldier on the ground in Basra.Winner of impossible victories, cannon fodder for the Western Front, thin khaki line against Hitler - wherever and whenever, the British soldier has done his duty - and more. This is his story.
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 23, 2010
Details of battles, conflicts, etc from Agincourt to the second Iraqi War told through contemporary accounts. Some are amusing, others harrowing and most are illuminating. Lewis-Stempel does a good job of inserting a few sentences in between accounts to inform the reader a little of the conflict or about the person documenting the event. A must-read for anyone interested in military history.
January 14, 2023
A series of short selections of letters, memoirs and other first hand accounts of British soldiers. Some, especially the early entries, are a bit difficult for the modern reader to follow (but still interesting). My only real complaint is that the sections left me wanting more of from them. Also, I would have liked more entries on the period between the two world wars as well as the period immediately following WWII.
December 31, 2025
An impressive collection of first-hand accounts from British soldiers from 1415 (Agincourt) to 2006 (Afghanistan and Iraq) extracted from letters and books. History told, sometimes in real time, from the pens of those who were there. The halfway mark is around the South African (Boer) War, and the largest space appears to have been given to WWI.
Because these are primary documents, to a large extent they are left to stand as they are, and it's up to the reader to process the content from a moral or ethical point of view - there's some bald stuff in there, unromantic, stark and certainly not always flattering. That said, the book's author does provide some framing and I reckon a bit of a whiff of jingoism is evident (and not just in the primary material).
As a New Zealander reading the book, it's noticeable that Britain's allies perhaps don't get the mention/credit they should have (NZ is mentioned once, as being part of the acronym ANZAC, which in itself is only mentioned in passing at Gallipoli). But the book is about British soldiers, and a comparative book from an American perspective I'm sure would have been worse, when it comes to the appearance of singlehandedly having won things!
The British military was the pointy end of the British Empire and that is in full effect in the book (until this aspect lessens considerably in the 20th century accounts, though not for Northern Ireland or as far as the Falklands War is concerned).
Their involvement in the New Zealand Land Wars (1845 to 1872) is never mentioned. Instead, this 'foray' is covered by this rather stomach-turning editorial observation, papering over untold hurt: "Queen Victoria's little imperial wars were almost ceaseless." (p343)
To give it context, during the period of the NZ Wars, the book is occupied with the Anglo-Sikh Wars (India), the Xhosa Wars (South Africa), Crimea (Russia) and the Indian Rebellion ('Mutiny') (India). (I've tidied up the names of these conflicts from what some of them were traditionally known as in the Empire - something which the book doesn't do.)
Lieutenant-General Duncan Cameron, who was the commander of the British Imperial forces in New Zealand (1861 to 1865) and for whom the main road of Tauranga is named, had established his renown in Crimea, and rolled up here after a stint at home following that conflict. One of Britain's best, he and his forces were famously defeated by Māori at Gate Pā. To his credit, he eventually tendered his resignation when he fell out with Governor Grey in part due to Grey's clear intent to use the British Army as a tool for land‐grabbing.
Anyway, back to the book. Absorbing reading, and once again, if one were needed, a reminder of the stark realities of war, of the vicious impact of the manoeuvres of power on the lives of otherwise everyday normal people, and those left behind. In the aftermath of bravado, just-happened-to-end-up-in-the-thick-of-it-ness and genuine bravery, it's the tragedy that lingers. Important stuff.
Because these are primary documents, to a large extent they are left to stand as they are, and it's up to the reader to process the content from a moral or ethical point of view - there's some bald stuff in there, unromantic, stark and certainly not always flattering. That said, the book's author does provide some framing and I reckon a bit of a whiff of jingoism is evident (and not just in the primary material).
As a New Zealander reading the book, it's noticeable that Britain's allies perhaps don't get the mention/credit they should have (NZ is mentioned once, as being part of the acronym ANZAC, which in itself is only mentioned in passing at Gallipoli). But the book is about British soldiers, and a comparative book from an American perspective I'm sure would have been worse, when it comes to the appearance of singlehandedly having won things!
The British military was the pointy end of the British Empire and that is in full effect in the book (until this aspect lessens considerably in the 20th century accounts, though not for Northern Ireland or as far as the Falklands War is concerned).
Their involvement in the New Zealand Land Wars (1845 to 1872) is never mentioned. Instead, this 'foray' is covered by this rather stomach-turning editorial observation, papering over untold hurt: "Queen Victoria's little imperial wars were almost ceaseless." (p343)
To give it context, during the period of the NZ Wars, the book is occupied with the Anglo-Sikh Wars (India), the Xhosa Wars (South Africa), Crimea (Russia) and the Indian Rebellion ('Mutiny') (India). (I've tidied up the names of these conflicts from what some of them were traditionally known as in the Empire - something which the book doesn't do.)
Lieutenant-General Duncan Cameron, who was the commander of the British Imperial forces in New Zealand (1861 to 1865) and for whom the main road of Tauranga is named, had established his renown in Crimea, and rolled up here after a stint at home following that conflict. One of Britain's best, he and his forces were famously defeated by Māori at Gate Pā. To his credit, he eventually tendered his resignation when he fell out with Governor Grey in part due to Grey's clear intent to use the British Army as a tool for land‐grabbing.
Anyway, back to the book. Absorbing reading, and once again, if one were needed, a reminder of the stark realities of war, of the vicious impact of the manoeuvres of power on the lives of otherwise everyday normal people, and those left behind. In the aftermath of bravado, just-happened-to-end-up-in-the-thick-of-it-ness and genuine bravery, it's the tragedy that lingers. Important stuff.
February 28, 2019
A great insight to the thoughts and experiences of the British soldier from 1415 to 2006, the Hundred Years War through to the Second Iraq War. Each chapter is a diary entry from a soldier involved in that conflict, or a wife/relative, as well as a few songs and poems sprinkled throughout. It's interesting to see the similarities from all eras of warfare, as well as the many differences - advances in technology for one, and also the fact that most of the early entries are from officers, and the more modern ones are from the perspectives of enlisted men. Lewis-Stempel does a great job of writing a few sentences in between the diary entries to give the conflict a bit more context, helpful for the fairly obscure mentions. The entries portray all sorts of personalities, from the heroic sacrifices of Isandlwana and Arnhem, to some reprehensible acts - one of the chapters about Northern Ireland in the 1970s includes some particulary horrible characters on the British side.
This is a great resource for anyone interested in the British army at all, however it is really only a gateway drug, anything deeper about the conflicts mentioned must be searched for elsewhere.
This is a great resource for anyone interested in the British army at all, however it is really only a gateway drug, anything deeper about the conflicts mentioned must be searched for elsewhere.
April 27, 2020
Great selection through the ages
This was tough going at first with the early snippets being quite hard to relate to and difficult to read because of the archaic language. But stick with it! It is fascinating to see the world we know gradually come to life as the decades pass. There are some great stories in here and I really like that many of them are the words of the ordinary troops.
This was tough going at first with the early snippets being quite hard to relate to and difficult to read because of the archaic language. But stick with it! It is fascinating to see the world we know gradually come to life as the decades pass. There are some great stories in here and I really like that many of them are the words of the ordinary troops.
September 9, 2024
Excellent compilation of some very vivid and moving memoirs. Plenty of surprises and humour in there too. Timely reminder of the sacrifices of previous generations in an increasingly unkind and bitter society.
May 9, 2014
The life of a soldier from Agincourt to Afghanistan, told in the words of the people who were there via a series of letters and other writings.
Some of the writers you'll have heard of, Gunner Spike Milligan and Cornet Auberon Waugh for example, but most you won't. The variety of voices and perspectives make this a fascinating read.
It's a very 'put downable' book, which is not really a criticism, but it's ideal to pick up and read in short bursts.
What you do take away from this is that, despite advances in the technology of killing, the basic nature of soldiery hasn't changed all that much over the centuries.
Some of the writers you'll have heard of, Gunner Spike Milligan and Cornet Auberon Waugh for example, but most you won't. The variety of voices and perspectives make this a fascinating read.
It's a very 'put downable' book, which is not really a criticism, but it's ideal to pick up and read in short bursts.
What you do take away from this is that, despite advances in the technology of killing, the basic nature of soldiery hasn't changed all that much over the centuries.
February 22, 2013
Excellent book thought it was well researched and laid but could do with a few tweaks hence not the full 5 stars. I feel they could've had a bit more on later conflicts and peace keeping such as Bosnia siera leonne and Kosovo etc but on the whole an excellent idea of telling individual accounts of battles in a way that it is depicting it to be the army as a person! I'd recommend this book but it does need a bit of persevering in the early chapters as it is written in olde english but you should enjoy it I know I did!
March 15, 2013
Don't believe this made the case for British soldiers being 'different' to soldiers from other nations, as its introduction implied. There was only one entry that made me dislike the morals/ethics of soldiers. Mostly it was just a load of poor buggers fighting other people's wars and often getting horribly injured/killed in the process. I think the idea that the British soldier throughout the ages is basically the same would have been helped by a different organisation of the entries, other than purely chronological
May 12, 2013
For those that know me, know I have two books on the go at any one time.
My main book and the "loo" book.
This is the perfect loo book.
A brilliantly combined collection of letter home ranging from the 15th century to the 21st.
Loved it.
An insight to the thoughts, feelings and experiences of officers and other ranks across the ages.
My main book and the "loo" book.
This is the perfect loo book.
A brilliantly combined collection of letter home ranging from the 15th century to the 21st.
Loved it.
An insight to the thoughts, feelings and experiences of officers and other ranks across the ages.
February 1, 2015
A book not to enjoy but to understand human who die for their country.
There are pages really worth rereading. What a book.
There are pages really worth rereading. What a book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews