Product Description

At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 Captain J. L. Jack was serving with the First Cameronians, one of the earliest British regiments to arrive in France. Almost every day while serving in France and Flanders, Jack kept a secret diary. This diary is unique. It presents the detail of a regular officer's life at war during virtually the whole of the First World War on the Western Front. Jack was witness not only to the horror and wretchedness of much that happened in the trenches but also to the bravery and spirit that kept the British soldiers in the line going through to the momentous battles of 1918 and final victory. Poignant and moving, as well as describing the reality of war on the Western Front, these diaries have been edited and linked with commentaries by the distinguished military historian John Terraine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #182745 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

About the Author
John Terraine is the eminent military historian and author whose contribution to the 26-part BBC TV documentary THE GREAT WAR launched him on a career that transformed attitudes to the history of the First World War.

Customer Reviews

The Horror of War
First hand account by a front line officer, John Terraine combines the records of a participant in the Great War with startlingly insightful commentary. Capt.J.L.Jack delivers a vivid description of the horrors of war and portrays the stresses and strains faced by the officer corps of the period. Much maligned, Jack demonstrates that the officers in the War struggled against the odds, pitting men and materiel against indescribable odds: the technology of the 1914-18 battlefield was designed for slaughter, not survival, and men like Jack had to reinvent front line tactics to try to cope with the disparities engendered by machineguns, barbed wire, gas, aircraft, and devastating artillery support.

Stunning 1st hand account of the 1st World War
General Jack's Diary. Although not written as a novel but from a diary and presented as such, this account of General Jacks experiences in the trenches of the 1st World War is an unforgettable read. Jack was with the original BEF as a junior officer, the professional regulars, the old comtemptibles who were sent to France amid the opening moves of the war. This is the story of a man who was a leader of men, a man who cared for his men and to whom men looked up to and responded. He was a selfless old fashioned Regular Officer, he kept going despite the loss of his friends and his men in terrible circumstances. He was lucky to survive and we are lucky to have the opportunity to read this account. There is a paragraph which is typical of him and typical of his type of officer. Jack trots on his horse to encourage a stalled attack, on his horse right in the middle of machine gunfire and so forth, Jack leans down off his horse and with the officers and men who are supposed to be attacking but are taking cover in shellholes and asks "would you mind awfully getting on with it?" then trots back to his command post. Extraordinary stuff. If you have an interest or would like to know more about life in trenches of the 1st World War then you simply must read this book.

Compeling Reading
This book is a first class example of what the great war was like for the officer and indeed his men. The amount of paper work Jack had to do every day makes you wonder how he found time in this war, the amount of marching and supporting other Battalions is mind blowing. This is a truly must read.