Centenary News Review: ‘As Rupert Brooke prophesied in his sonnet ‘The Soldier’, there is now a ‘corner of a foreign field/ That is forever England’ on the Greek island of Skyros. On April 23rd 1915, on his way to fight in the Gallipoli campaign, Brooke died from sepsis resulting from a mosquito bite. Mike Read’s biography, Forever England, which has been updated for the anniversary of his death, aims to reveal the man behind the poems by exploring his life and legacy.’
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Publisher’s Description:”July 1914. Young Englishwoman Vivian Rose Spencer is running up a mountainside in an ancient land, surrounded by figs and cypresses. Soon she will discover the Temple of Zeus, the call of adventure, and the ecstasy of love. Thousands of miles away a twenty-year old Pathan, Qayyum Gul, is learning about brotherhood and loyalty in the British Indian army.”
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Centenary News Review: ‘This is a lively and comprehensive account of the sinking of the Lusitania, its aftermath, and the controversies which still swirl around the disaster. Diana Preston weaves a narrative of intrigue and foreboding that describes how the pride of the Cunard fleet sailed into the sights of a German submarine off the Irish coast a century ago.’
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Centenary News Review:’Larson’s greatest skill is his ability to bring the captains, commanders and passengers to life beyond the page so that they are more than mere names in a history book. It is this, combined with the detailed and objective research, which makes Dead Wake a powerful addition to the study of the Lusitania’s final voyage.’
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Centenary News Review:’From a pile of letters discovered in a antique shop Peter Doyle has brought to life the experiences of two brothers from London at Gallipoli. The letters alone make this book a compelling read, but the accompanying notes make it informative as well as emotive. This is a book for anyone interested in the highs and lows, and triumphs and struggles of ordinary soldiers as they passed their days in the heat of Suvla Bay.’
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Publisher’s Description:”Based on historical fact, this captivating novel tells the story of the legendary Edith Cavell, a British nurse whose duties as a healer clashed with the demands of a ruthless occupying regime during World War I.”
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Publisher’s Description:”The Russian decision to mobilize in July 1914 may have been the single most catastrophic choice of the modern era. Russia’s rulers thought they were acting to secure their future, but after millions of deaths and two revolutions they were consigning their country to a uniquely terrible generations-long experiment under a very different regime.”
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Publisher’s Description:”It was the First World War’s largest seaborne invasion and the Irish were at the forefront. Recruited in Ireland, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers were ordered to spearhead the invasion of Gallipoli in Turkey. This book tells the story of the forgotten Irishmen who died beneath a Turkish sky in what was Ireland’s D-Day.”
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Centenary News Review: ‘During the First World War 302 British and Commonwealth soldiers were executed at the Western Front. Although this number seems unimaginably high to the modern reader, this is in fact a much smaller number than it could have been and amounts to roughly one in ten of those condemned. This book would be an excellent starting point to the subject and includes reference to works that go into further detail should it be of interest.’
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Publisher’s Description:’Flanders, June 1917: a British officer and celebrated poet, is shot dead, killed not by German fire, but while recuperating from shell shock well behind the lines. A young English soldier is arrested and, although he protests his innocence, charged with his murder.’
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