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Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front
by: Richard Holmes

List Price: £9.99

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Availability: Usually dispatched within 6 to 10 days Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.41241
EAN: 9780007137527
ISBN: 0007137524
Label: HarperPerennial
Manufacturer: HarperPerennial
Number Of Pages: 668
Publication Date: March 07, 2005
Publisher: HarperPerennial
Studio: HarperPerennial
Sales Rank: 18668

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.co.uk Review:
Tommy is Richard Holmes's tribute to the ghosts of the millions of ordinary soldiers who fought in the First World War. The book also reflects the dissatisfaction he feels at the way we still remember it. Too often we approach World War I through the literature it inspired. The poems of Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon and others have their own truths to offer, but Holmes would dispute the assumption that they represent the experiences of the majority of those who endured the trench warfare of the Western Front.

To discover new voices and new perspectives on the war he has trawled through the rich archives of letters, diaries and memoirs that still exist, most of them written while the fighting still continued. From these he has constructed an extraordinarily vivid and moving picture of what it felt like to be one of the millions of men who served in the British army during the four years between August 1914 and the armistice on November 11, 1918. From Private Albert Bullock rejoicing in the discovery of 200 Woodbines in the pack of a fellow soldier who had fled the front line, to Private Eric Hiscock describing the horrors of finding himself entangled in barbed wire. The Tommies, whom Richard Holmes rescues from obscurity, prove powerful witnesses to the diverse realities of the war. Beneath the stereotyped images of the First World War that we all carry in our heads, the real lives of the men who fought it are still there to be discovered and Holmes’s book brings them forcefully to our attention. ––Nick Rennison

Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday:
'Subtle and endlessly fascinating... Holmes has a sharp eye for anecdote and detail.'

Sunday Telegraph:
'Holmes (sic) has produced yet another fascinating, balanced and original book of a highly emotive subject.'

The Observer and Daily Telegraph:
Straight in at No 2 on our Bestseller lists...

Sunday Times:
"As good a description as will be found anywhere of how the army was recruited, administered and motivated"

The Independent on Sunday:
"worth hearing again from this author, like all the best historians, never removes our fascination, dispels myths...new material is first-rate..."

The Observer:
"...above all TOMMY is the story of the courage of ordinary men thrust into an extraordinary situation"

Sunday Express:
'packed with amazing facts and arresting anecdotes...the depth of his research and the breadth of his interests commands respect.'

Sunday Telegraph:
‘This superb and important book...'

Book Description:
The first history of the First World War to put the British soldier who fought in the trenches centre-stage. This superb and important book tells the story of this epic and terrible war through the letters, diaries and memories of those who fought it. Unmissable.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Fascinating, if a little military
A very long book looking at all aspects of the soldier's life, from training to hospitals, from trenches to home. One of Holmes' main aims is to put paid to some aspects of received wisdom - for example the "lions led by donkeys view of history". It remains a popular history from two points of view - firstly it is very readable. But secondly it lacks in places the rigour of a university work. For example, Holmes frequently complains loudly about the false views of "some historians"... but these historians are almost never named, which is a little disappointing.

Really Holmes book is extremely interesting, and is not afraid to deal with all sorts of controversial questions (homosexuality in the army, deserters, etc.) It is readable ... Read More:

Rating:

- Both Comprehensive and Fascinating
This book covers all you will every want or need to know about the British Soldier in the first World War. In the modern trend it is factual and balanced. It re-writes some of the preceived wisdom. For example following this book my opinions of the generals in the conflict were changed for the better (Holmes gives good reasons to think they were better than they are usually given credit for). In addition, my understanding of the motivation and commitment of the soldier was also improved. Holmes also makes the case (possibly well know now) that it was only in the late 20s and early 30s that disillusionment set in. At the time most soldiers were very commited and believed in the war as a just cause.

It contains lots of quotes from ... Read More:

Rating:

- Interesting but ultimately disappointing
A very-detailed account, if a bit overlong history of the British Army during the First World War, from an individual and structural viewpoint.

There are some very interesting details in this book, but I think it compares poorly with other similar titles, such as the older, `Death's Men' by Denis Winter. It lacks the latter's clarity and power, and I found the writing wayward.

Holmes most interesting angle is probably the one that will divide those who think WWI was a bloody shambles - a war of incompetent generals and brave soldier-civilians led trustingly to their doom. Holmes tries to break down this `class' perspective. Holmes rightly tries to debunk this simplistic view , for example looking at the role of the much ... Read More:

Rating:

- Richard Holmes at his best!
Thomas Atkins or Tommy for short, the affectionate nickname often used throughout the world for the British Soldier, first came about in 1815, when the name was used as an example, showing soldiers of the day how to fill out the name section in their Soldiers Pocket Book!

This superb book, written by Britain's top military historian - Professor Richard Holmes, tells the fascinating story of the ordinary British Soldier during the Great War. Covering just about every angle of the ordinary soldier's daily life ("warts and all") from the day he enlisted through to the day he was either de-mobbed or was killed in action, this brilliant book makes compelling reading for the family, military or social history researcher, the battlefield tourist ... Read More:

Rating:

- Holme's best, fascinating and very moving
The sense of loss and tradgedy of the Great War has led to me to read many accounts to try and understand the reasons behind it, the events themselves, and the accounts (like this one) of the experiences of the (extra-)ordinary people involved. I've read many of Holmes's books and consider this the best, though perhaps that's in part down to my interest in the period. It's too close to our own era with the last few Tommies still with us to be merely dry history. This book is essentially the story of the individual experiences, tied together with explanations of how things were done, again as this affected the individual, with the great events providing a backdrop. Well-written, and terribly moving. Though not laboured in this book, it is clear that Holmes ... Read More:

Books : Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front