Great War Portraits

Six Weeks: The Short and Gallant Life of the British Officer in the First World War - by John Lewis-Stempel
 
If you, like me, have a fascination of the generation of the young men who became officers in the Great War. Then this remarkable book, by John Lewis-Stempel will tell you all about these forgotten men who truly won Britain's victory in the First World War - the subalterns, lieutenants and captains of the Army, the leaders in the trenches, the first 'over the top,' the last to retreat.
 
Basing his narrative on a huge range of first-person accounts, including the poignant letters and diaries sent home or to their old schools, the author reveals what motivated these boy-men to act in such an extraordinary, heroic way. He describes their brief, brilliant lives in and out of the earth world of the trenches, the tireless ways they cared for their men, and how they tried to behave with honour in a world where their values and codes were quite literally being shot to pieces.
 
They included the aristocracy, academics, writers, poets, artists, sportmen etc. The cream of this talented generation. When one reads through the Rolls of Honour produced after the war it's heart-breaking to see page after page of these young men.
 
This is a great read and I highly recommend it.
 
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