uncle bill Posted 26 September , 2011 Share Posted 26 September , 2011 Hello Having just received by email the blurb to Richard Van Emden's latest book I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. It looks like a fascinating look into the post war years and how families coped with their losses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forton Posted 29 September , 2011 Share Posted 29 September , 2011 Hi Uncle Bill I hope you enjoy the book and I am delighted that you are looking forward to receiving it. Just to say that the book is as much about families during the war, and how they coped, as it is about the post war world. The book looks at the agony of separation as much from the soldiers' point of view as from their family's and of course, following on from this, the devastation of loss and learing how to cope with that loss. I've interviewed a number of children (now aged between 96 and 109) about losing a sibling or a father and their stories have thrown up many interesting anecdotes. There's new material including an American who recieved the backing of the British Government to search for missing soldiers and then set out to swindle desperate families, as well as a post-war stories, such as the campaign to bring the dead back to Britain, and the decision by a minority to go to the Western Fromnt and dig up and remove their loved one's body to Britain. All best Forton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMHart Posted 3 November , 2011 Share Posted 3 November , 2011 The Quick and the Dead: Fallen Soldiers and their Families in the Great War Richard van Emden Bloomsbury, 2011. 352pp + 32pp plates, £20 Operational Great War historians may flinch away from books that focus on the trauma and suffering caused by the war. But their analytical work is undermined without an understanding and acceptance of the shock wave that ripples out from the dead soldier at the front to encompass his whole family back at home. An impact that in its longevity far outlasts the momentary agony and oblivion experienced by the dead themselves. This intriguingly titled book embraces the study of that prolonged anguish head-on. Richard van Emden looks at the war through a cast of characters which encompass the doomed soldiers and their hapless families. We follow them throughout the war: enlistment and separation, the precious periods of leave, the struggle to survive in reduced circumstances without a man in the house, the catastrophic news of death and the efforts to come terms with that loss. Many of the stories are moving as evinced by this sad account of how Lucy Neale was parted from her father as he returned to the front from leave. "It was a ten-minute walk, I suppose, but we didn’t hurry, we just I walked slowly up the hill and I really can’t remember what we talked about. I held on to his hand so tight, and when we got to the top, he said, "I won’t take you any further, you must go back now, and I’ll stand here and watch you until you’re out of sight," and he put his arms round me and held me so close to him; I remember feeling how rough that khaki uniform was. "You must go now, wave to me at the bottom, won’t you?" I went, I left him standing there and I went down the hill and I kept looking back and waving and he was still there, just standing there. I got to the bottom and then I’d got to turn off to go to where we lived, so I stopped and waved to him and he gestured as much as to say, "Go on, you must go home now," ever so gently gestured and then he waved and he was still waving when I went, and that was the last time I ever saw him." Another character, Lily Baron, was ninety-eight when she finally got to visit her father's grave at Bourlon Wood in France. He had been killed during the Battle of Cambrai back in November 1917 when she was just five years old. She left a little note on his grave, "Thank-you for five years of real happiness - I've missed you all my life." Thousands of small-scale human tragedies like these are the reality behind the mayhem on the Western Front. Every attack, every heroic defence, every routine day in the trenches - they all killed fathers, husbands, sons and lovers. This is the inevitable brutality of war. Richard van Emden has chosen his sources well, mingling his own research and interviews with the stories of better known characters such as Harry Lauder and Vera Brittain. They collectively tell the story. The agonies suffered and the desperate hopes that the 'missing' might still be alive. The activities of heartless confidence tricksters such as the nefarious Edward Page Gaston who promised to use 'contacts' in Germany to track down missing soldiers. The time-honoured crutches of religion and its disreputable cousin, spiritualism. The charlatan 'mediums' who claimed to be able to contact the dead. The harsh practicalities and grinding hard work of life bereft of a husband or father. Many wives faced the harrowing question of whether to stay true to their dead husband in poverty, or marry again in the hope of a more comfortable life. Their children had to choose whether to accept or reject a stepfather arriving to replace a beloved dead father. There are many accounts describing the overwhelming emotions of post-war visits to battlefields and wonderfully kept war graves. Overall the process of burial and commemoration is very well covered with a good deal of interesting material on the decision not to repatriate the corpses of the dead and the imaginative gesture of allowing the retrieval and burial in state of the 'Unknown Soldier' to stand as 'everyman' for all the missing. Finally this book achieves all this without feeling the need to appoint scapegoats for the deaths at the front. There are no ringing condemnations of 'butchers and bunglers' to undo this carefully weighted and nuanced account. Throughout it is tacitly accepted that if Britain is at war with the continental power of Imperial Germany backed by huge military resources and with millions marching to war then the consequences will inevitably be horrendous. Richard van Emden in other words is a mature historian who has performed a valuable role in drawing our attention to the human consequences of war: a lesson that surely even the most ardent of armchair generals should never be allowed to forget. Peter Hart, November 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_Grundy Posted 4 November , 2011 Share Posted 4 November , 2011 Great review, Peter. I've just started reading the book and, from what I've read so far, it looks like an excellent work. The impact of the loss of men back home is an under-researched theme so when I learned that this book was coming out, I ordered it straightaway. In Hucknall, one woman hung herself after her son was killed in 1918 in a house less than 300 yards from where I'm typing this. We cannot imagine how our ancestors coped...., thankfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanCurragh Posted 4 November , 2011 Share Posted 4 November , 2011 A reminder that Richard will be talking about the book at the GWF Conference next March - see this thread in Forum Pals for details http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=162143 Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyne Posted 5 November , 2011 Share Posted 5 November , 2011 Great review, Peter. I've just started reading the book and, from what I've read so far, it looks like an excellent work. The impact of the loss of men back home is an under-researched theme so when I learned that this book was coming out, I ordered it straightaway. In Hucknall, one woman hung herself after her son was killed in 1918 in a house less than 300 yards from where I'm typing this. We cannot imagine how our ancestors coped...., thankfully. I guess they coped the same way as some of us cope now when bad news comes from Aghanistan or Irak ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_Grundy Posted 5 November , 2011 Share Posted 5 November , 2011 From my home town, one young man has been killed in Afghanistan in a war that has lasted more than ten years. Each loss is a tragedy to family and friends and, whilst anyone who has experienced a sudden loss might have some insight into their shock and grief, can we ever know, even begin to understand, how it must have felt collectively when my town lost over 400 men? Of course that in no way diminishes the loss of any individual but only adds to the wonder at how people coped with losses on a scale far beyond our own imaginings...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon th14 Posted 7 November , 2011 Share Posted 7 November , 2011 I absolutely loved this book! For anyone interested, I've reviewed it below, but I think it has all the markings of being a Great War classic. The immediate horrors of war are clear for all to see. During the Great War, this was more evident than ever before as millions of men paid the ultimate price for fighting for their country and a cause they believed in. What isn't so immediately obvious are the tragic consequences for those left behind whose lives would never be the same again. This aspect of the War is often overlooked but the implications on the families and communities affected would change the country forever. In this fascinating book, Richard Van Emden tells the stories of those who were left to cope with the loss of their closest family members; husbands, fathers, brothers and sons were all casualties of the war to end all wars and their loss would be felt by relatives for the rest of their lives. This is a heart wrenching book and will often leave you extremely touched by the memories of the family members interviewed. This is immediately felt in the book's introduction where Lily Baron remembers her father who she lost at the age of five. Upon visiting his resting place, Lily leaves a wreath and a card saying 'Thank you for five years of real happiness - I've missed you all my life.' It's at this point you swallow hard and the real, incredibly personal, impact of the war becomes even clearer. There are many similar stories contained and each make for fascinating reading. In an unexpected, but in hindsight obvious contrast, the book also tells the stories of the men whose families were happier without them. The Quick and the Dead then moves on to the efforts by families to have their relatives brought home for burial and to be commemorated on memorials. Particularly touching are the experiences of those whose family members were shot at dawn who were not able to express their grief in the same way as other families. The loss also marked the first ever battlefield tours, as families visited the sites where their family members fell. The author captures the contrast of emotions particularly well ranging from the immediate grief and devastation felt, through anger and outrage to the need to remember and commemorate those lost. This need to ensure that lives hadn't been lost for no reason, moved many family members to push to achieve and many of those interviewed express that this need has indeed been the reason for their own personal successes. As with all Richard Van Emden books, the material is all new and won't have been read elsewhere. No other historian puts so much work into uncovering new stories, both through interviews with living relatives and by scouring archives up and down the country for new and original material. The Quick and the Dead is an absolutely superb book, incredibly moving but also shocking at times. It is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the Great War but is also so much more than that. It is an important piece of Britain's social history, often overlooked, that marks and explains how the war would change the country forever. Extremely highly recommended! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Banning Posted 7 November , 2011 Share Posted 7 November , 2011 The book was reviewed very favourably in the Daily Mirror over the weekend. See http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/11/06/new-book-reveals-poignant-story-of-unreturned-soldiers-behind-the-unknown-warrior-monument-115875-23540213/ As for Lily Barron, those of us who were there at Bourlon Wood that day will not forget it in a hurry. If ever an event showed me how the loss of a loved one affects a life then that was it. I am looking forward to getting my copy of the book on Wednesday and am sure that once again Richard will have come up trumps with his research and fascinating and heartbreakingly poignant stories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger H Posted 7 November , 2011 Share Posted 7 November , 2011 This sounds like a must have. Presumably copies will be on sale at the conference? Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil andrade Posted 7 November , 2011 Share Posted 7 November , 2011 "Thank-you for five years of real happiness - I've missed you all my life." That made me shed a tear. I'm going to buy the book. Phil (PJA) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Armstrong Custer Posted 7 November , 2011 Share Posted 7 November , 2011 That made me shed a tear. I'm going to buy the book. Phil (PJA) I saw that coming a mile off, and said so to Pete on Sunday! Richard's book is excellent, though, and certainly contains some very moving testimony on the wide ranging and long lasting consequences of war to individuals and their families. Commendably, Richard presents his often heart breaking material without feeling impelled to deploy this as evidence in some kind of blame game. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pighills Posted 7 November , 2011 Share Posted 7 November , 2011 That's going on my Christmas list! Thanks for letting us know about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger H Posted 7 November , 2011 Share Posted 7 November , 2011 That's going on my Christmas list! Thanks for letting us know about it. Kim Yes, you are right. I have now decided I can't wait until the conference so it is now on my Amazon "wish list" for C*******s presents. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanCurragh Posted 7 November , 2011 Share Posted 7 November , 2011 I'm sure Richard will be happy to sign your copies at the conference! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon th14 Posted 8 November , 2011 Share Posted 8 November , 2011 I am pleased to see that Richard's book is generating the interest it deserves. I would go so far as to say this should be on the reading list for every Great War student. It should certainly be in teacher's hands when explaining the First World War to pupils of all ages. History is sometimes hard to understand, particularly from a now mostly forgotten era. This sort of book brings to life just how devastating a conflict the Great War was. I've not long finished the book and am already planning a second read. As with all great books and films, I expect there is much I missed on my first read through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rose of picardy Posted 8 November , 2011 Share Posted 8 November , 2011 I bought a similar book by Max Arthur last year-"The Road Home." I enjoyed it, but it sounds like this is a superior production with more original material. I have had the "Veterans" book for many years and it was well done. Has anyone here read "Road Home" and can make a comparison? Even so, I am already marking it down on my wish list! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyne Posted 8 November , 2011 Share Posted 8 November , 2011 That's going on my Christmas list! Thanks for letting us know about it. Kim Yes, you are right. I have now decided I can't wait until the conference so it is now on my Amazon "wish list" for C*******s presents. Roger the problem is not going to be to have that book on the wish-list ... but to put it on the "to read ASAP"-list, together with the 40+ others ... But hey ... a day has 24 hours, as my dear boss always says !! enjoy !! Marilyne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forton Posted 12 November , 2011 Share Posted 12 November , 2011 For those who may not have seen the Guardian today, there's a feature I wrote using material from The Quick and the Dead and, in particular, interviews with six surviving children all of whom lost fathers in the Great War. They are a remarkable group of people. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/nov/12/first-world-war-surviving-children Thank you too for the kind comments above Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesmessenger Posted 13 November , 2011 Share Posted 13 November , 2011 It had a good review in today's Sunday Times Culture supplement. Charles M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forton Posted 22 November , 2011 Share Posted 22 November , 2011 This week's copy of 'The Week' uses interviews with the surviving children of those who fell. The stories are taken directly from the book. They also have pictures of the children too, as they are today. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAndrews Posted 3 December , 2011 Share Posted 3 December , 2011 Finished this book last night and cannot recommend it highly enough, it is one of those books that leaves you unable to pick up another for a few days as you have so much in it to think about. Like many of the people who have posted here, the image of 97 year old Lily Baron laying her wreath at Bourlon Wood and the message she wrote on it is one of the most sorrowful and touching things I have ever read. Likewise the words of Donald Overall at his father's grave. In fact, I read that page of the book to my 16 year old daughter and it has inspired her to base a drama monologue that she has to do at school on the story. Surely that is the mark of a great war book, one that tells stories which inspire people to retell them to others, thus passing the messages on to others who would not usually read these books themselves? Wendy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forton Posted 12 December , 2011 Share Posted 12 December , 2011 Finished this book last night and cannot recommend it highly enough, it is one of those books that leaves you unable to pick up another for a few days as you have so much in it to think about. Like many of the people who have posted here, the image of 97 year old Lily Baron laying her wreath at Bourlon Wood and the message she wrote on it is one of the most sorrowful and touching things I have ever read. Likewise the words of Donald Overall at his father's grave. In fact, I read that page of the book to my 16 year old daughter and it has inspired her to base a drama monologue that she has to do at school on the story. Surely that is the mark of a great war book, one that tells stories which inspire people to retell them to others, thus passing the messages on to others who would not usually read these books themselves? Wendy. Thank you Wendy. Interviewing the 'last' children of that war was one of the most fascinating and rewarding aspects of writing this book - and heartbreaking too. The 104 year old who recalled her fingers bleeding at the end of a day's work, and her 'old woman hands' as she called them, with stay with me for a long time, as well as the advice she was given to rinse her fingers in her own urine to toughen them up. All best, Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pighills Posted 12 December , 2011 Share Posted 12 December , 2011 Richard, can you remember please, did you include the interview with the old gentleman in the home from the Isle of Wight? - his brother was Dink Watson. I would be thrilled if you did (he was the granddad of my next door neighbour and has sadly passed away since he was interviewed). Either way, I'm really looking forward to reading this book and I still have my fingers crossed it will be under the tree for me very soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forton Posted 12 December , 2011 Share Posted 12 December , 2011 Richard, can you remember please, did you include the interview with the old gentleman in the home from the Isle of Wight? - his brother was Dink Watson. I would be thrilled if you did (he was the granddad of my next door neighbour and has sadly passed away since he was interviewed). Either way, I'm really looking forward to reading this book and I still have my fingers crossed it will be under the tree for me very soon Hi Kim I did interview the gentleman but there just wasn't enough there to put his story in the book. I found him quite a quiet man although very welcoming and kind. I have included him in the acknowledgements at the end ie amongst the 23 that I interviewed for the book. 'George Watson, born December 1905, brother of Private Hubert Wilson, killed in action August 1915' I didn't know his nickname was 'Dink' Best wishes Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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