Hidden stories of the First World War / Jackie Storer ; historical consultant, Dr Stephen Bull.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Storer, Jackie.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

World War, 1914-1918--Personal narratives.

World War, 1914-1918.

World War, 1914-1918--Anecdotes.

World War, 1914-1918--Sources.

Genre:

Personal narratives.

Anecdotes.

Sources.

Physical Description:

176 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

London : The British Library, 2014.

Summary:

True tales of love, death and adventure from the battlefield to the home front. Who would have thought the box under the bed or the faded photos buried deep in the attic could produce so many thrilling tales of wartime tragedy, romance, fear, revenge and hope? From the gifted chemist who faked his own suicide to go on the run with his bigamous bride, to the boy who survived the sinking of Kitchener's ship only to drown months later, or the woman who helped a priest swim to freedom - these true-life stories tell the extraordinary experiences of ordinary people who were caught up in the Great War. Copiously illustrated with photos, memorabilia and maps, this collection of 35 new stories brought together from across Europe by the Europeana 1914-1918 project gives a touching personal dimension to the four-year conflict.00.

Contents:

'Damn the war' 8

A Pacifist on the Front Line

'An Alsatian from France' 16

Fighting for the Enemy

'The eggs were laid' 22

The Sinking of HMS Audacious

'Our friends the enemy' 28

The Christmas Truce

'Injustice and fate' 34

A Tale of Casual Revenge?

'It was me who killed him' 38

Haunted by an Act of War

'Just a piece of shrapnel' 42

The Man from the Pru's Big Adventure

'Soul mates' 48

Captive Hearts in the Trentino

'Two scrapes with death' 52

A Family's Fortunes in War and Peace

'Thoughts of a homeward journey' 58

A Canadian's War

'Our ship's gone down' 64

The Strange Demise of Lord Kitchener

'It saved my life' 70

A Close Encounter on the Somme

'No More War' 76

Brothers in Arms

'At a great risk of life' 80

An Unlikely Friendship

'A couple of francs per bottle' 82

Adventures of an Under-Age Recruit

'The fire had burned so fiercely' 86

Rise and Fall of a Prodigy

'I knew it was my turn' 92

Wounded on the Somme

'Are you a good swimmer?' 100

A Perilous Escape

'I am in Munich' 104

A Message from Hitler

'Big scrap with Huns' 108

Exploits of a Flying Ace

'If you fell off a duckboard you were done for' 112

A Baptism of Mud

'A very gallant officer' 118

An Orcadian at Passchendaele

'They were inseparable' 122

Revolution, Marriage and a Tale of Two Wars

'It was a miracle' 126

You Only Live Twice

'What better epitaph? 130

Acts of Kindness and Salvation

'The pair fell in love' 134

A Transatlantic Tryst 134

'It was absolutely concentrated hell' 140

A Prisoner's Diary

'Off to France' 148

A Family Fragmented

'We were really hungry, ravenous' 154

Never Saying Die - In Love or War

'Adventurous people' 160

From Cairo to the Western Front

'To dad's little Ghislaine' 166

The French Lieutenant's Daughter

'A lucky boy' 170

Saved by a French Surgeon.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780712357388

0712357386

OCLC:

862111166