The Love of an Unknown Soldier found

[robbie]

I picked up a well-worn copy of this book in Canterbury this afternoon. Has anyone seen it before?

In the introduction the publisher John Lane explains that a RFA officer had found a bundle of papers in a dug-out of an abandoned gun position somewhere in France. They were wedged in between a post and the wall of one of the bunks. In essence, they are letters written to an unnamed girl by an unnamed soldier from an unknown regiment.

Robbie

[Soren]

That sounds like a really sweet and moving book, wish I had it.... I'll surf the net to see if it's still in print anywhere....

Soren

[BeppoSapone]

I read an article that claimed it was a fake.

Can anyone remember who wrote the article?

[robbie]

Looking through I've worked out that he was an officer, and that they met in Paris. Not sure whether she was French but it appears so.

Robbie

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

I picked up a well-worn copy of this book in Canterbury this afternoon. Has anyone seen it before?

In the introduction the publisher John Lane explains that a RFA officer had found a bundle of papers in a dug-out of an abandoned gun position somewhere in France. They were wedged in between a post and the wall of one of the bunks. In essence, they are letters written to an unnamed girl by an unnamed soldier from an unknown regiment.

Robbie

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Robbie,

I found a copy of this a couple of years ago whilst on one of my Forays around local Car Boot sales,an interesting & poignant little read,I hope you enjoy it.....

I am constantly amazed by the plethora of contemporay post WW1{circa 1920/30s} Published material that one finds by delving deep into boxes of Mills & Boons etc!

[robbie]

Thanks Harry. Found some on this site Soren.

http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl&st...600968244_1:3:3

[robbie]

I read an article that claimed it was a fake.

Can anyone remember who wrote the article?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

OOOhh was it? If so, it reminds of the tale of a guy in OZ who fraudulently claimed to have written a book (CAN'T REMEMBER HIS NAME). Peter Carey wrote a book about him. Anyone remember his name? Was it O'Malley?

Robbie

[Jock Bruce]

And, from this description, presumably never posted?

Jock

<snipped>

They were wedged in between a post and the wall of one of the bunks. In essence, they are letters written to an unnamed girl by an unnamed soldier from an unknown regiment.

Robbie

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[robbie]

And, from this description, presumably never posted?

Jock

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The papers were found by an officer in the RFA and taken to the publosher John Lane.

Robbie

[Lindsey]

I gave a copy of this little book to my mum before our first trip to the Western front. Funnily enough I was tonight trying to remember its title and the forum has once again come up trumps!!! The copy I gave her is old and I will check it out next time i see her, the soldier was never identified by his love as I remember.

[Jock Bruce]

Robbie,

I'm not being deliberately thick BUT - if the letters were found in a dugout in France and were written by UNK soldier of UNK regt to UNK girl, then presumably unless UNK girl was the one who stashed them in the dugout, then UNK soldier never posted them?

Or am I missing something?

Jock

The papers were found by an officer in the RFA and taken to the publosher John Lane.

Robbie

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[robbie]

Robbie,

I'm not being deliberately thick BUT - if the letters were found in a dugout in France and were written by UNK soldier of UNK regt to UNK girl, then presumably unless UNK girl was the one who stashed them in the dugout, then UNK soldier never posted them?

Or am I missing something?

Jock

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No he never posted them. They were found in an empty dugout by an officer from the RFA and taken to the publisher John Lane, London.

Robbie

[BeppoSapone]

OOOhh was it? If so, it reminds of the tale of a guy in OZ who fraudulently claimed to have written a book (CAN'T REMEMBER HIS NAME). Peter Carey wrote a book about him. Anyone remember his name? Was it O'Malley?

Robbie 

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Robbie

Seems as if it is not just my memory playing tricks. I read an article that said that the book was written by a novelist who also made up a story about the letters being found.

The link you gave has one entry that says that the book is a "possible hoax". I think that is a bit strong, I would have said that a "literary device" was made full use of by the publishers at a time when so many people had an "unknown soldier" in their own family:

"Publisher: John Lane, Bodley Head, 1918; Very Good/No Jacket. 2nd Edition. 8vo. viii + 196pp. Frontis. A collection of letters by a soldier to an American girl found in a trench on the Western front. Published by John Lane in the hope that the girl would come forward and claim them. Possibly a hoax but beautifully written nonetheless. Blue cloth, red lining and titles"

[BeppoSapone]

OOOhh was it? If so, it reminds of the tale of a guy in OZ who fraudulently claimed to have written a book (CAN'T REMEMBER HIS NAME). Peter Carey wrote a book about him. Anyone remember his name? Was it O'Malley?

Robbie 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Robbie

Is this it?

http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/my_life_as_a_fake/review/

[robbie]

Robbie

Is this it?

http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/my_life_as_a_fake/review/

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Yes, Tony that's it. Very interesting tale.

Robbie

[BMoorhouse]

Robbie,

The book suggests that the gal was a nurse from the USA stationed in France. The story line is that he knows that there is every chance that he will die in battle, and while he has a relationship with her, he will not ask her to marry him to make her a war widow like so many others. He writes the letters so that he can give them to her at the end of the war so that she will appreciate his love for her. The inference of them being found in the dugout is that he died, and that she never knew of his love for her.

I found a book in 'the shell hole' in Ypres that was written by the author later - exposing it as a work of fiction. I wish that I could remember its title/author, but I am afraid that I can't.

It was a sales gimmic I fear.

Brendon.

[ypres1418]

just ordered mine, and i like fiction and non fiction so if this is a m***s and b**n, then i don't mind.

looking forward to reading it.

Mandy

[Simon Jones]

In the introduction the publisher John Lane explains that a RFA officer had found a bundle of papers in a dug-out of an abandoned gun position somewhere in France.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The John Lane archive at the University of Texas might provide the answer.

Regards

Simon

[StuartAB]

Coming across the thread though google, after finding a heavy-weight academic tome which took the book at face value, I found an article with this conclusion:

"Correspondence held in the John Lane archive at the Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, provides conclusive evidence that The Love Of An Unknown Soldier was written by Dawson. On 21 April 1918 Dawson wrote to Basil Willet, Lane’s manager,

I’m glad you’ve chosen The Love of an Unknown Soldier as a title its by far the best suggested. I suppose it is in the press by now. I have a greater affection for this unacknowledged child than any of my legitimate offspring."

Also, "The Love of an Unknown Soldier was not written by a soldier who died in a dugout. It was the work of an Anglo-American professional writer and soldier. Coningsby Dawson was born in 1883 in High Wycombe, Bucks, England, the eldest of four children and the son of Presbyterian Minister, William Dawson, who wrote poetry and was passionate about social reform. "

The article is Sue Bruley (2005) The Love of an Unknown Soldier: A Story of Mystery, Myth and Masculinity in World War I, Contemporary British History, 19:4, 459-479, DOI: 10.1080/13619460500254372

It's probably only accessible through academic libraries.

Stuart

[Dust Jacket Collector]

On the jacket of Coningsby Dawson's 'Test of Scarlet' it says,' by the author of 'Love of an Unknown Soldier'

[StuartAB]

On the jacket of Coningsby Dawson's 'Test of Scarlet' it says,' by the author of 'Love of an Unknown Soldier'

Indeed! In that same article:

In 1930 Hutchinson republished The Test Of Scarlet by Coningsby Dawson, the frontispiece of which listed The Love of an Unknown Soldier among Dawson’s other books. The letter from Willett to Dawson about this unexpected public admission has not survived, but it seems at least very likely that he was surprised, puzzled and angry. Dawson’s rather shamefaced reply, which has survived, stated that, ‘I’m afraid the fault is mine for having mentioned it to him that I wrote it.’ How this occurred is not revealed. It could be that it was really an accident and Dawson had no idea that his conversation with Walter Hutchinson would be used in this way. Alternatively, it is possible that Dawson wanted his authorship of the book to be known and indicated as much to Hutchinson. Could it be that the book’s success made him want to brag about it, or was he ashamed of his role in the fraud and his conscience urged him to get it in the open? Regrettably, we can only conjecture on these questions.

Stuart

[slick63]

Is this the same book in eformat ?

http://archive.org/details/loveofunknownsol00torouoft

[Dust Jacket Collector]

It is.

[salientpoints]

Hi Pals, this has been beautifully repackaged and is available again

For example www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910065455/

Enjoy a piece of wonderful writing, regardless of the authenticity it's still very much of the time

Ryan