Diary of a Dead Officer
Being the Posthumous Papers of Arthur Graeme West
Seiten
2024
Greenhill Books (Verlag)
978-1-80500-060-0 (ISBN)
Greenhill Books (Verlag)
978-1-80500-060-0 (ISBN)
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Born in September 1891, Arthur Graeme West was a quiet and self-effacing youth with a passion for literature, who went on to become a keen Oxford scholar. When war broke out in 1914, for some time it left him untouched. However, in January 1915, in a rush of enthusiasm, he enlisted as a private in the Public Schools Battalion. From that time, until his death in April 1917, his life was a succession of training in England and fighting in France, with short intervals of leave.
West joined due to a feeling of duty and patriotism, but the war was to have a profound effect on him. He developed an intense abhorrence of army life and began to question the very core of his beliefs — in religion, patriotism and the reason for war. This growing disillusionment found expression in two particularly powerful war poems, _God! How I Hate You, You Young Cheerful Men_ and _Night Patrol_, which stand deservedly alongside those of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen.
In August 1916, he became a second lieutenant in the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Shortly after, he wrote to his CO renouncing the war and any further part in it — but he could not bring himself to post the letter. Less than a year later, on April 3rd, 1917, he was shot dead by a sniper's bullet near Bapaume.
Written with complete frankness and sincerity, _Diary of a Dead Officer_ gives voice to West's struggle to come to terms with the realities of war and is a poignant tribute to a lost generation of soldiers.
West joined due to a feeling of duty and patriotism, but the war was to have a profound effect on him. He developed an intense abhorrence of army life and began to question the very core of his beliefs — in religion, patriotism and the reason for war. This growing disillusionment found expression in two particularly powerful war poems, _God! How I Hate You, You Young Cheerful Men_ and _Night Patrol_, which stand deservedly alongside those of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen.
In August 1916, he became a second lieutenant in the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Shortly after, he wrote to his CO renouncing the war and any further part in it — but he could not bring himself to post the letter. Less than a year later, on April 3rd, 1917, he was shot dead by a sniper's bullet near Bapaume.
Written with complete frankness and sincerity, _Diary of a Dead Officer_ gives voice to West's struggle to come to terms with the realities of war and is a poignant tribute to a lost generation of soldiers.
Nigel Jones is a historian, broadcaster and author. He is the former deputy editor of _History Today_ magazine and _BBC History_ magazine. His books include _The War Walk: A Journey Along the Western Front_ and _Rupert Brooke: Life, Death and Myth_. He was a contributing author to Greenhill's _Hitler Triumphant: Alternate Decisions of World War II_.
| Erscheinungsdatum | 01.05.2024 |
|---|---|
| Verlagsort | London |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 138 x 216 mm |
| Themenwelt | Literatur ► Briefe / Tagebücher |
| Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Neuzeit (bis 1918) | |
| Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Militärgeschichte | |
| ISBN-10 | 1-80500-060-8 / 1805000608 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-80500-060-0 / 9781805000600 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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Buch | Hardcover (2024)
C.H.Beck (Verlag)
CHF 47,60
