It Was The War Of The Trenches

The experiences of World War I from the perspectives of soldiers on the battle field and their families at home.

Jacques Tardi's graphic novel Goddamn This War! is split into six chronological chapters, one for each year of WWI, drawn in a pen-ink-and-watercolor technique, with the bold colors of the early chapters fading into a grimy near-monochrome as the war drags on. It is told, with insight, dark wit and despair, as a first-person reminiscence/narration by an unnamed soldier.

A history of the First World War told through the letters exchanged by ordinary British soldiers and their families.??Letters from the Trenches reveals how people really thought and felt during the conflict and covers all social classes and groups Ð from officers to conscripts and women at home to conscientious objectors.??Voices within the book include Sergeant John Adams, 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers, who wrote in May 1917:'For the day we get our letter from home is a red Letter day in the history of the soldier out here. It is the only way we can hear what is going on. The slender thread between us and the homeland.'??Private Stanley Goodhead, who served with one of the Manchester Pals battalion, wrote home in 1916: 'I came out of the trenches last night after being in 4 days. You have no idea what 4 days in the trenches means...The whole time I was in I had only about 2 hours sleep and that was in snatches on the firing step. What dugouts there are, are flooded with mud and water up to the knees and the rats hold swimming galas in them...We are literally caked with brown mud and it is in all?our food, tea etc.'??Jacqueline Wadsworth skilfully uses these letters to tell the human story of the First World War Ð what mattered to Britain's servicemen and their feelings about the war; how the conflict changed people; and how life continued on the Home Front.

"Now that the United States has declared war upon the German Empire, and that men will more than likely be conscripted into the service, I shall feel embarrassed should I fail to be among the first to go to the training camp," wrote Dae Hinson of Leesville, Louisiana, in April 1917. His World War I memoir gives a compelling account of a young man's induction into the army, basic training, friendships formed and frontline combat in France with the 156th Infantry. Hinson vividly records his daily struggles for survival in the trenches amid gas attacks, exploding shells and the constant "rattle and fuss" of machine-gun fire.

Produced in partnership with The National Archives, this title looks at the trenches of World War One. Timed for the anniversary of World War One this title uses material and images from The National Archives to tell the story of the Trenches. We look at how the war began and how the trenches were created - from single holes to vast networks running through Northern France. We look at what the trenches were like for the soldiers who lived in them; their daily routine, the work, food and water, hygiene and stress. We look at the fighting, the casualties and medical facilities. From the most dangerous jobs to the Big Pushes, we cover all aspects of trench life. War in the Trenches then takes a look behind the lines and how soldiers spent their time away from the front line; where did they go? What did they spend their pay on? Did they get on with the locals? In additon to this, we take a look at the many things that affected soldiers' lives, such as discipline, and how they coped with the strain of warfare with humour and the enterainment that was provided for them. This title ends with the end of the war, taking a look at the closing stages of the fighting, and then at the battlefields and cemeteries today. In this indepth look at War in the Trenches, we remember those who fought so bravely in the Great War, 1914-1918. This title is perfect for study of the trenches and of World War One. As we reach the centenary of the start of the fighting, it is an ideal way to look back at the lives of those who fought. A glossary and index support the title, and a Further Information section suggestes websites, books and places to visit for those wishing to do more research on the topic.

Tatiana L. Dubinskaya’s autobiographical novel of life in the Russian army marked the first major work published by a female World War I soldier in the Soviet Union. Often compared to All Quiet on the Western Front, Dubinskaya’s stark and unsparing story presents a rare look at women in combat and one of the few works of fiction set on the eastern front. Zinaida, a Russian schoolgirl, runs away from home to join the army. Sent to the front, she endures the horrors of trench warfare and the hardships of military life. Undercurrents of revolutionary thinking filter into the ranks as morale begins to crumble. Zinaida must come to grips with the havoc unleashed by the czar’s overthrow and the new socialist government’s attempts to impose revolutionary reforms on the army. Destabilization and desertion follow, and her regiment joins the chaotic mass retreat of the Russian army in the summer of 1917. In addition to Dubinskaya’s original novel, this edition includes selections from her 1936 autobiographical work, Machine Gunner, which she rewrote to satisfy Stalinist censors.

“My name is Weetaltuk; Eddy Weetaltuk. My Eskimo tag name is E9-422.” So begins From the "Tundra to the Trenches." Weetaltuk means “innocent eyes” in Inuktitut, but to the Canadian government, he was known as E9-422: E for Eskimo, 9 for his community, 422 to identify Eddy. In 1951, Eddy decided to leave James Bay. Because Inuit weren’t allowed to leave the North, he changed his name and used this new identity to enlist in the Canadian Forces: Edward Weetaltuk, E9-422, became Eddy Vital, SC-17515, and headed off to fight in the Korean War. In 1967, after fifteen years in the Canadian Forces, Eddy returned home. He worked with Inuit youth struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, and, in 1974, started writing his life’s story. This compelling memoir traces an Inuk’s experiences of world travel and military service. Looking back on his life, Weetaltuk wanted to show young Inuit that they can do and be what they choose. From the Tundra to the Trenches is the fourth book in the First Voices, First Texts series, which publishes lost or underappreciated texts by Indigenous writers. This new English edition of Eddy Weetaltuk’s memoir includes a foreword and appendix by Thibault Martin and an introduction by Isabelle St-Amand.

The First World War largely directed the course of the twentieth century. Fought on three continents, the war saw 14 million killed and 34 million wounded. Its impact shaped the world we live in today, and the language of the trenches continues to live in the modern consciousness.One of the enduring myths of the First World War is that the experience of the trenches was not talked about. Yet dozens of words entered or became familiar in the English language as a direct result of the soldiers’ experiences. This book looks at how the experience of the First World War changed the English language, adding words that were both in slang and standard military use, and modifying the usage and connotations of existing words and phrases. Illustrated with material from the authors’ collections and photographs of the objects of the war, the book will look at how the words emerged into everyday language.