Men Of 18 In 1918

[trenchtrotter]

Just finished reading this book for the second time. It is a superb personal memoir by a chap who was rapidly sent to France in the spring of 1918 aged 18. He was drafted into the 10th LF and became the battalion Gas NCO. The detail and observations are fantastic and you realise who proud he was of his generation and in particular the boys of 18 in 1918. The book IMHO opinion is a must read and there are many gems about daily army life that are priceless. His warmth and character ooze from the pages. I would loved to have met him

Was a private run and printed in 1988 so long out of print but keep your eyes peeled and I would be interested in others opinions who have been lucky to read this.

TT

[stevem]

Hi TT

The book is still in print and available in paperback format.

Regards

Steve

[trenchtrotter]

Good news!

TT

[JefR]

Thanks for the recommendation TT - I've just bought it. I agree, an excellent read and £5 well spent.

My Dad was one of the "Men of 18" and it's filling in a lot of background for me, but the book is important in a more general sense. Hodges says that three quarters of the British army in 1918 was made up of 18 and 19 year olds - that may, or may not, be accurate, but as a group, they obviously made a huge contribution to the final victory and deserve a special place in our national remembrance.

I recently discovered that my father was one of a draft of 100 18 yr old replacements in April 1918 and that one in four of them died in the last 200 days. Their Division's casualty statistics in that period show that for each man killed five were wounded, so it's likely that only a handful of that draft survived physically unscathed.

As you say, Hodges was very proud of his generation. Thanks to his book, now we can all recognise their sacrifice.

Jef

[Simon Jones]

Agreed – I am actually taking a battlefield tour in November inspired by this memoir!

[trenchtrotter]

Jef,

Your Dad is a man to be proud of as were all his generation who served on the Western Front ( or any front for that matter) whatever their nationality.

The book really lets you see into their world.

Would loved to have had a cup o tea with him. You really get to realise what a nice chap he must have been.

TT

[truthergw]

In his autobiography, F.M. Robertson paid especial compliment to the young men of under 19 who were sent to France in 1918. He noted their bravery, steadiness and their great contribution to the eventual victory.