The Kitchener Amry Song Book

When this bloody war is over, No more soldiering for me. This book brings together the words - humorous, cynical, bitter, wistful - of the songs the soldiers of the First World War sang. The haunting songs of the First World War still have a powerful emotional impact; these are the words the soldiers actually sang - on the march, in the dug-outs and trenches - amidst the appalling carnage of the battlefield. The stoic courage and endurance of the ordinary soldiers shines through such songs as We are Fred Karno's Army, No More Soldiering for Me and It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary. Each song is introduced by Max Arthur, giving its historical background. Together with contemporary cartoons and drawings, this attractive, evocative book cannot fail to delight and move anyone with an interest in the First World War.

Numbering over five million men, Britain's army in the First World War was the biggest in the country's history. Remarkably, nearly half those men who served in it were volunteers. 2,466,719 men enlisted between August 1914 and December 1915, many in response to the appeals of the Field-Marshal Lord Kitchener. How did Britain succeed in creating a mass army, almost from scratch, in the middle of a major war ? What compelled so many men to volunteer ' and what happened to them once they had taken the King's shilling ? Peter Simkins describes how Kitchener's New Armies were raised and reviews the main political, economic and social effects of the recruiting campaign. He examines the experiences and impressions of the officers and men who made up the New Armies. As well as analysing their motives for enlisting, he explores how they were fed, housed, equipped and trained before they set off for active service abroad. Drawing upon a wide variety of sources, ranging from government papers to the diaries and letters of individual soldiers, he questions long-held assumptions about the 'rush to the colours' and the nature of patriotism in 1914. The book will be of interest not only to those studying social, political and economic history, but also to general readers who wish to know more about the story of Britain's citizen soldiers in the Great War.

“Now will you believe me when I say there’s a war on?” She seemed determined to make a point. He smiled, put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him. “Yes, my dear, I know!” Now was not the time to tell her what he had already decided. John Hemingby is a loving husband and father – a musician, teacher and a man of peace. But when the Great War breaks out, trapping him and his family in France, John can no longer be at peace with himself. He feels strongly that he must help his country and his fellow man – but he will not kill. Do Not Forget Me Quite tells of the effects of war on John’s extended family, in London and abroad, after he decides to volunteer for service in the Medical Corps. His beloved artistic daughter, six-year-old Dorothy, is deeply distressed at his departure. She recalls, in old age, her unsettled early life. In the hell of the trenches, John undergoes shattering experiences beyond his imagining: these include crucial encounters with the wounded poet and composer Ivor Gurney, whose brilliant, unstable isolation is to find a profound echo in John’s future. Gurney’s bi-polar disorder, unknown and incurable at the time, is vividly presented. While Dorothy grows to a troubled womanhood, the separation and trauma of the times act on the Hemingby family, with results that mirror the tragic breaking of two generations in the war and its aftermath... Do Not Forget Me Quite is a compelling work of literary historical fiction that will appeal to anyone interested in the First World War, family life during times of conflict – and peace – and fans of Ivor Gurney. Author Richard’s writing style has been compared to David Almond, and Richard also takes inspiration from the work of Jude Morgan.

Excerpt from Kitchener's Army and the Territorial Forces, the Full Story of a Great Achievement At the time when the British Army was mobilising in England, and when Russia had no more than men on the scene of action, Germany had concentrated forty four Army Corps, divided into nine Armies. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.