Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front 1914-1918

Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: Another revisionist tract that seeks to glorify the British Tommy though spinning defeats into victories, bumblers into geniuses, and incompetence into acumen. Overly long, redundant and without a single unifying theme, this book is more demanding on your patience than critical faculty.

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and Fascinating
Review: What kind of man was the British soldier who unflinchingly trudged through the Menin Gate into the mud of the salient in 1917? How did he live day to day? What did he fight with and how did he do it? Where did he come from and why did he face the horrific attrition of World War I seige warfare with a 'stiff upper lip"? The answers and much more are here. This is the most detailed and yet most readable book on the British (and Empire) troops and their lives that I've seen and I've been a student of World War I for many years. From the world that created the Brit soldiers of the Great War to a realistic look at their commanders, how food reached them in the trenches, what happened when a high explosive shell fell in the middle of a platoon, how the army was organized, it's all here, but written in a page-turning, nearly can-put-it-down style that makes 700+ pages seem like not enough. There is information here that I've read before, certainly, but there is a wealth of info new to me - enriched by quotes from interviews, diaries and published works of the men themselves, woven seemlessly into the sharp narrative. It reminds me a bit of the work of Lyn MacDonald in that respect, but doesn't focus on the battles, but everything else. At least some knowledge and understanding of WWI will be helpful while reading this, but not necessary for enjoyment and revelation. If you're interested at all in the Great War this volume is indispensible.