They Called It Passchendaele [Paperback]

Lyn Macdonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 24, 1993

The third battle of Ypres, culminating in a desperate struggle for the ridge and little village of Passchendaele, was one of the most appalling campaigns in the First World War. In this masterly piece of oral history, Lyn Macdonald lets over 600 participants speak for themselves. A million Tommies, Canadians and Anzacs assembled at the Ypres Salient in the summer of 1917, mostly raw young troops keen to do their bit for King and Country. This book tells their tale of mounting disillusion amid mud, terror and desperate privation, yet it is also a story of immense courage, comradeship, songs, high spirits and bawdy humour. "They Called It Passchendaele" portrays the human realities behind one of the most disastrous events in the history of warfare.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (June 24, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140165096
• ISBN-13: 978-0140165098
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #716,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > History > Europe > Belgium

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get a copy if you can!, June 6, 1998

By 

Aussie Reader ""Rick"" (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Called it Passchendaele: Story of the Third Battle of Ypres and of the Men Who Fought in it (Hardcover)

Lynn MacDonald is one of my all time favourite World War One authors. I have read all of her books, '1914', '1915', 'Somme' and this volume covering Passchendaele. She has the ability to bring to life the voices of those involved in this terrible, terrible conflict. This was one of the worst battles fought during a war known for its carnage. She tells the story through the letters, reports and accounts of those involved and she tells it very well. I found this book and her account of the Somme very hard to put down and I have no hesitation in recommending this title to anyone who has a love for military history or a good story.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Horrific First Hand Accounts By Those Who Were There., August 24, 2002

By 

M. D Roberts (Gwent, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: They Called It Passchendaele: The Story of the Third Battle of Ypres and the Men Who Fought in It (Paperback)

The true story of the harrowing slaughter at Passchendaele, in the words of the very soldiers who were actually there.

The author, Lyn MacDonald, has done everyone a great service in interviewing these survivors and portraying their story to us all.

Stories of brave, terrified young men in appalling conditions.

Passchendaele is a name which represents the epitome of horror to anyone with a knowledge of the First World War.

As these aged survivors become less and less with each passing year, we cannot allow their experiences to be forgotten.

This book and others like it by Lyn MacDonald ('The Somme' & 'The Roses Of No Man's Land'), which concentrate on the real life experiences of the soldiers who did the fighting, are indispensable.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent commentary on this famous battle, April 24, 2000

By 

"smithy0412" (Hampton Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Called it Passchendaele: Story of the Third Battle of Ypres and of the Men Who Fought in it (Hardcover)

I found this paperback version (ex Penguin Books in the UK) an excellent commentary on one of the most famous battles of WW1. Using the soldiers who fought it to tell their own story of this slaughter brings to us today, the experiences of the fighting in the 'war to end all wars'. More poignant by the fact that I live in Passchendaele St in a suburb of Melbourne Australia. Now I know why this street was named.