A Visit To Three Fronts

Aged 55 by the time WWI broke out in 1914, famous author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was keen to play his part in the war effort and became a private in a volunteer regiment. ‘A Visit to Three Fronts’ is his account of visits he made to various Army positions during the conflict. Though a somewhat sanitised report, it is nevertheless a fascinating glimpse into the lives of those who were on the frontlines of WWI. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a British author, best known as the creator of the world-famous detective Sherlock Holmes. Born in Edinburgh, he was educated in England and Austria before studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh. It was during his time at university that Doyle began writing short stories, submitting them to magazines and journals. His first Sherlock Holmes novel, ‘A Study in Scarlet’ was written in just three weeks and published in 1887 to favourable reviews, and more Sherlock adventures followed. By 1893, Doyle was growing tired of Sherlock and attempted to kill him off in the story ‘The Final Problem’, but public outcry caused him to resurrect the famous detective. He featured in a total of 56 short stories and four novels along with his trusty sidekick Dr Watson and made Doyle one of the best-paid authors of the time. The stories have been adapted multiple times; most recently in the successful BBC series ‘Sherlock’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Later literary works included the Professor Challenger series which began with ‘The Lost World’, in which Challenger sets out to find evidence of prehistoric life. The book inspired numerous adaptations, including the films ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘The Lost World’. In later life Doyle became captivated by the world of spiritualism and the occult and published non-fiction works about his beliefs including ‘The Coming of the Fairies’. Arthur Conan Doyle died at home in 1930.

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A Visit to Three Fronts, June 1916 is a classic World War One history text that inclides the following preface by Arthur Conan Doyle: In the course of May 1916, the Italian authorities expressed a desire that some independent observer from Great Britain should visit their lines and report his impressions. It was at the time when our brave and capable allies had sustained a set-back in the Trentino owing to a sudden concentration of the Austrians, supported by very heavy artillery. I was asked to undertake this mission. In order to carry it out properly, I stipulated that I should be allowed to visit the British lines first, so that I might have some standard of comparison. The War Office kindly assented to my request. Later I obtained permission to pay a visit to the French front as well. Thus it was my great good fortune, at the very crisis of the war, to visit the battle line of each of the three great Western allies. I only wish that it had been within my power to complete my experiences in this seat of war by seeing the gallant little Belgian army which has done so remarkably well upon the extreme left wing of the hosts of freedom. My experiences and impressions are here set down, and may have some small effect in counteracting those mischievous misunderstandings and mutual belittlements which are eagerly fomented by our cunning enemy.

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