Product Description

One of the finest of all published memoirs of the Great War, truly a classic of its kind .A tribute to the army that died on the Western Front in 1914.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33614 in Books
• Published on: 2001-11-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Customer Reviews

Excellent
Frank Richards served in the 2/ Royal Welch Fusiliers along with (at one time or another) Robert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon, and Dr Dunn (compiler of the amazing 'The War That The Infantry Knew'- possibly THE best battalion history of WW1- and a good companion to this book as its interesting to cross reference small incidences somtimes...).
Anyway, Richards was slightly different to his literary contemporaries in that he was 'Other Ranks', and a miner by trade. He was recalled to the colours in 1914 after several years on the reserve, and served as a Private right through to 1918. He writes his story as one would imagine he spoke- and for me as I read it, it was a style as if he was telling me his war history in anecdotes down the pub or something, supping over a pint of mild: theres no deep soul searching here, but plenty of bitterness, a lot of detail, and what an experience he had...
So if you don't have this in your collection then get it now- one of the very few 'OR' books (I can only think of 'Her Privates We' as another...) on the Great War written by a participant.

Worthy of the highest acolades
When asked to recommend one or two books covering the Great War, I have always suggested Martin Middlebrook's " First Day of The Somme" as a starter, however, having read this most excellent volume I firmly believe that this
title is without a doubt a must read too and therefore a very valuable addition to any military historian's library.

This splendid publication - heralded as one of the finest memoirs of the Great War ever written, follows on from Frank's previous volume (Old Soldier Sahib) which excellently detailed his pre war service in India and Burma. Having been recalled to the colours, this particular volume takes over where the last one left off and provides the reader with a fascinating insight into his experiences between 1914 and 1918.

Frank landed in France in August 1914 and like many British Tommies soldiered in some of the worst conditions imaginable. How he and many others managed to survive this conflict as his friends and colleagues were killed within inches of him on an almost daily basis I will never know- I can only presume he had a guardian angel looking kindly on him.

His graphical and remarkable account of the fighting and life in the trenches is a true tribute to those who fought and so often died for the freedom. There are however light hearted moments too as he describes the gambling, drinking and fatigue dodging and other scams that were also part of everyday life - however in the face of adversity, it is good to know the British soldier still had a sense of humour, a will survive and to carry on as normal as possible.

Frank Richards was a obviously a very modest man. Despite being awarded the DCM and MM during the war, he made only a casual mention of it in his book. He was a very talented man too, to be able to write in the style he has, is a credit to him. This book will provide readers with a very entertaining read and a superb source of reference for many generations to come.

In summary, I have just one word to sum the volume up - remarkable!

The Luckiest Man In the World!!.
O.K. So you have all probably read the official versions of what happened in the great war, here is something a little different!.
Frank Richards takes us all the way through the Great War, from Mons to Ypres to Neuve Chappel to The Somme And Passendale and finally the advance to victory.
Yes this man saw it all and came through it without a scratch!!!!.
Nearly all his friends were killed, some were actually standing next to him when it happened, but Frank came through it all!
As he says himself he was a very lucky Man.
This book is written by a Soldier not a writer so it may not win any prizes but it is a great read.