In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

Dr. John McCrae (1872-1918) In Flanders Fields, ‘Ypres Salient’

In August 1914, Lord Kitchener, the war minister, began a recruiting campaign calling for men aged between 19 and 30 to join the British Army.

It is not an encyclopaedic record, but it is a true account of his army exploits. Despite his claim to be uneducated his writing has a colourful style, punctuated by his unique humour and descriptive narrative of the often pitiful conditions he was subjected to.

Start reading Harry’s story here, browse the chapters below, or search for something.

This war, like the next war,
is a war to end war.

David Lloyd George (1863-1945)

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Notes

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