Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #240707 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 342 pages

Synopsis
"Famous" tells the Great War stories of as many as twenty of Britain's most respected, best known and even notorious celebrities. They include politicians, actors, writers, an explorer, a sculptor and even a murderer. The generation that grew up in the late 19th Century enlisted enthusiastically in the defence of the country. Many would become household names such as Basil Rathbone, the definitive Sherlock Holmes, A A Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh, and John Laurie and Arnold Ridley who found fame and public affection as the dour Scotsman Fraser, and the gentle and genial Godfrey, in Dad's Army.From politicians such as Harold Macmillan and Winston Churchill to writers including J B Priestley, and J R R Tolkein, from sculptors like Henry Moore, to composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams, their fame and influence continue even into the 21st Century. The authors Richard van Emden and Vic Piuk have discovered the exact locations where these celebrities saw action. They tell the story of how J R R Tolkein led his men over the top on the Somme, where C S Lewis was wounded and invalided home, and how Basil Rathbone won the Military Cross for a trench raid (while dressed as a tree).

Each story will be examined in detail with pictures taken of the very spot where the actions took place. There are maps of the area that will guide enterprising readers to walk in the footsteps of their heroes.

Customer Reviews

Famous, by Richard Van Emden and Victor Piuk
After recently reading Richard Van Emden's latest book The Soldiers War, I really felt the urge to look at another of his works, this one being co-authored by Victor Piuk, and I have to say that I was not to be dissapointed, frequently finding it difficult to put down.
It tells the story of 21 famous characters who were in most cases houehold names, and although I knew of all of the subjects covered, I didn't know anything of their war service, and what fascinating reading they make.
It is obvious when reading this book that the authors have carried out extensive research into these personalities and each story is also accompanied by a biographical section.
There is also a really nice photo section, this includes some very interesting pictures taken by the authors on the battlefields at the actual sites of action for some of their subjects.
All in all, this book is a must buy, it is not some dull boring account of strategy and statistics, but it is the real war stories of some ordinary people who in most cases went on to become truely extraordinary personalities in their time.

Fascinating selection of individuals moulded by the trenches
This is a great book if you have an interest in the Great War, or indeed, on the effect of the war on the early 20th century in Britain. The selection of individuals is fascinating, ranging from individuals whose art was shaped by their traumatic experiences like Henry Moore, whose endurance and relish for life were heightened like George Mallory, or whose involvement in even more savage conflicts to come were conditioned by the nature of their experiences on the Western Front like Bernard Law Montgomery.

Different readers are well catered for, as the text follows individuals on the ground via excellent photographs and maps as well as placing them in their military context in the wider fighting. There are plenty of evocative portraits of familiar faces in khaki uniform, which visually indicate the power of this book.

Most surprising was the account of Arnold Ridley (Private Godfrey in Dad's Army) with the Somerset Light Infantry, whose courage was placed in sharp contrast with his bumbling character. I found myself most moved by the account of the death of Ned Parfett, the famous newspaper boy photographed in 1912 carrying a billboard announcing the sinking of the Titanic. He became an icon of the earlier tragedy which seems to have symbolically prefigured the Great War.

The authors have provided an authoritative and accessible read which supplies plenty of leads for wider reading into these individuals, as well as access to tantalisingly rare and unpublished material. Above all, the book is a tender elegy for a generation who wore their trauma and grief with decorum, resolution and cool outrage.

Very interesting
My wife bought me this for Christmas knowing my obsession with the Great War and I must admit that this is very different from the other books I have. These are personal stories of men who were or became famous after the war. Each of them saw action of one form or another and it affected them in their own ways. This is a very human history. I can recommend it.