Customer Reviews

Somme Mud, The War Experiences of an Australian Infantryman in France 1916-1919

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In Australian history you hear much about the WW1 Diggers. They contributed much to our national self image. This book, written 90 years ago by one, paints a picture of circumstances and people Australians 'remember' and in adversity aspire to be.

Perhaps for those reasons, its description as Australia's 'All Quiet on the Western Front' is an understatement. Notwithstanding my obvious bias, it's a well worthwhile read.

Overall, a very intriguing book. It is very authentic in terms of the language of the times - in terms of descriptions of racial groups but also in general terms, though there is very little swearing. The author writes in the first person and even though he adopts the persona of 'Nulla' I had the feeling he virtually told his own story as he directly experienced it. I found though that aside from the actual description of events, it was a little difficult to engage with some things. For instance, all of Nulla's friends are referred to only by their nicknames. We learn very little about them and I found it hard to connect with these. They almost seemed like caricatures and I didn't have the same sense of concern/care for them as I would have liked or have become used to with more modern texts.

This said, we see the horrors of war through them. Without giving things away - they are all at least wounded (at least once) during the course of the book. Yet, the death count is not as severe as I'd expected. This may have been Lynch's purpose to minimise the extent of this experience but it also rings true. Some platoons were slaughtered. Some, like individuals, got lucky. Lynch's battalion overall suffered greatly though. He recounts that of his reinforcement of over 250, only 19 are there at the end. The scale of death is also evident in his accounts of the big battles, which always leave many dead. Even short stints in quiet parts of the line resulted in several dozen casualties.

As for the level of detail, the level of fiction aside, Lynch regularly recounts which battalion they relieved and who relieved them. The day to day life and fighting are riven with references to the mud. It is clear why it features in the title and clearly stayed with Lynch throughout his life - it is everywhere, all the time. The awfulness of living in it constantly is made very clear. As for combat, the stories are Ok, though a bit short on detail. Perhaps due to my issues with the way he reveals his mates, I rarely found the descriptions gripping, though 'Longun's' bayonet duel with a 'big Fritz officer' was a corker! This said, Lynch does not shy away from describing the effects of wounds. Once again, I had the sure impression he was describing things he saw with his own eyes - and wished he hadn't. I also liked the way he described events out of the line - scrounging for food mostly and the relationships with officers. Not too matey but professional and admiring for the great part too.

Surprisingly, my favourite part of the book was the part that concerned occupation duty, demob and going home. You just don't read anything about this! And while I may have failed to really engage in most of the text, it had me with a tear in my eye when I read of his poignant homecoming. Perhaps it had me all along and it just needed this extra special piece to bring it out.

Anyway, I recommend this book. I think it gives a very true picture of the trench war - particularly regarding the mud!

The conflict known as World War I happened almost a hundred years ago so all combatants have now passed on and succeeding generations have little knowledge of what the soldiers - on both sides - had to endure. This book is a superb insight from a common soldier who fought & survived that terrible conflict. It should be essential reading for every teenager in Australia, if not the World!

Somme Mud (Edward Lynch) Edited by Will Davies

The pure horror of trench warfare is brought home strongly in this book.
Private Lynch was eighteen years old when he volunteered for the Australian Imperial Forces, for overseas service. A typical Aussie, Lynch was sent to England and then across the channel to France. Messines, Passchendaele, Villiers Bretonneux and Hamel were the stuff of legends, and Lynch survived the machine guns, snipers, the cold, the mud, the artillery and gas attacks.

Private Lynch (1898-1980) wrote in the first person, using the alter ego- Nulla. While this style of writing removes the text from the dry history genre, the minutiae were reconstituted when Lynch wrote the notes that formed the book sometime later. The main characters in the book have never been identified.

I read the abridged edition, aimed at secondary school students, and that was graphic enough. Students reading this story will find all of the dimensions of our bloody battles in France and Belgium put together in a realistic package, and they will come away from this encounter with a better understanding of war, death and survival.

This is a book about the war experiences of an Australian infantryman in France from 1916 to 1919.

`It's the end of the 1916 winter and the conditions are almost unbelievable. We live in a world of Somme mud. We sleep in it, fight in it, wade in it and many of us die in it. We see it, feel it, eat it and curse it, but we can't escape it, not even by dying.'

To read this book is to be immersed, uncompromisingly, in the brutal conditions of the trenches of the Somme. The contradictions of war: the brutality, the humanity; the courage and the ineptness of command in many cases - all compete for the attention of the reader. It is no wonder that so few of those who returned after participating felt able to discuss their experiences. How can anyone explain the madness to anyone who didn't participate? How can anyone who didn't participate understand the horror?

` We're in the land of rotting men in the year of Our Lord, 1918.'

As I read this book, and as the intervening decades vanished and the voice of Private Edward Lynch became part of my present instead of a messenger from the past, I found myself thinking that all politicians should read this book before committing our children to fight wars. Our capacity to kill each other may have become more sophisticated over time, but the impact on those doing the killing or living with the consequences has not changed.

`The ground as far ahead as we can see is dotted with men who will never again need the stretcher-bearers or anyone else.'

The politics of war is a different topic, and I do not seek to diminish the sacrifices and the courage of those who fought the particular battles of the Somme. Whatever their motivations for serving and whichever side they served, these were brave human beings who did what was asked of them, and sometimes far more, to protect each other.

As Private Lynch concludes:

`The brightest memory of the lot is that I have known real men.'

Book recommendations come from all manner of diverse sources: this one came from my dentist. We have a shared interest in Australian military history and both have family members who served in France during World War I. Thanks, Andrew Gordon, for drawing this book to my attention.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith