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Diary of a dead officer
Hardback
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- Book Synopsis
- Born in September 1891, Arthur Graeme West was a quiet and self-effacing youth with a passion for literature, who went on to become a keen Oxford scholar. When war broke out in 1914, for some time it left him untouched. However, in January 1915, in a rush of enthusiasm, he enlisted as a private in the Public Schools Battalion. From that time, until his death in April 1917, his life was a succession of training in England and fighting in France, with short intervals of leave. West joined due to a feeling of duty and patriotism, but the war was to have a profound effect on him. He developed an intense abhorrence of army life and began to question the very core of his beliefs - in religion, patriotism and the reason for war. This growing disillusionment found expression in two particularly powerful war poems, _God! How I Hate You, You Young Cheerful Men_ and _Night Patrol_, which stand deservedly alongside those of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. In August 1916, he became a second lieutenant in the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Shortly after, he wrote to his CO renouncing the war and any further part in it - but he could not bring himself to post the letter. Less than a year later, on April 3rd, 1917, he was shot dead by a sniper's bullet near Bapaume. Written with complete frankness and sincerity, _Diary of a Dead Officer_ gives voice to West's struggle to come to terms with the realities of war and is a poignant tribute to a lost generation of soldiers.
- About The Author
- Nigel Jones is a historian, broadcaster and author. He is the former deputy editor of _History Today_ magazine and _BBC History_ magazine. His books include _The War Walk: A Journey Along the Western Front_ and _Rupert Brooke: Life, Death and Myth_. He was a contributing author to Greenhill's _Hitler Triumphant: Alternate Decisions of World War II_.
- Product Details
-
- ISBN
- 9781805000600
- Format
- Hardback
- Publisher
- Greenhill Books, (02 May 2024)
- Number of Pages
- 208
- Weight
- 384 grams
- Language
- English
- Dimensions
- 216 x 138 x 23 mm
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