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1915: The Death of Innocence Paperback – April 21, 2000

by Lyn Macdonald (Author), Robert Cowley (Foreword)

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By Christmas 1914, the wild wave of enthusiasm that had sent men flocking to join up a few months earlier began to tail off, and though the original British Expeditionary Force had suffered 90 percent casualties, most people, particularly the soldiers themselves, still believed that 1915 would see the breaking of the deadlock. But their hopes were shattered on the bloody battlefields of Neuve Chapelle, Ypres, Loos, and far away on the shores of Gallipoli.

Lyn Macdonald's story of 1915 is stark, brutal, frank, sometimes painfully funny, always human. Never before has any writer collected so many firsthand accounts of the experiences of ordinary soldiers, through diaries, letters, and interviews with survivors―and it is the dogged heroism and sardonic humor of the soldiers that shine through the pages of this epic narrative. 1915 is a uniquely compelling blend of military history and poignant memories of the fighters who survived the ordeal.

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Print length

672 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date

April 21, 2000
Reading age

18 years and up
Dimensions

6.25 x 1.56 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0801864437
ISBN-13

978-0801864438
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Editorial Reviews

Review

By concentrating on the minutiae of life in the trenches―the daily battles with cold and damp, the endless scrounging for food, the frantic improvisation required to carry out impossible orders―Macdonald manages to convey the sheer craziness of the nightmare.

(Sunday Times (London))

Macdonald's narrative, constructed around a succession of remarkable and fresh first-hand accounts, is both compelling and vivid.

(Times Literary Supplement)

Macdonald's heart lies firmly with the common soldiers and junior officers who manned the trenches and followed the orders that all too often cost their lives... The reader feels at times that he is actually in the thick of the battle.

(Newsday)

About the Author

Lyn Macdonald is a former BBC radio producer and the author of many books, including 1914; To the Last Man: Spring 1918; First Year of Fighting; and The Roses of No Man's Land.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"Across the chill wasteland that was Flanders in winter the armies had gone to ground. During the short hours of murky daylight, rifles occasionally crackled along some stretch of the line. From time to time a flurry of rooks, startled by a shot that ricocheted through a wood, rose cawing from the trees to wheel in the grey sky. Here and there, when some half-frozen soldier drew hard on his pipe, as if hoping its minuscule glow might keep out the cold, a stray puff of smoke would rise to mingle with the ground-mist that lay most days above the bogs and ditches. In Flanders, where the merest rise counted as a ridge and the smallest hill was regarded as a mountain, vantage points high enough to a bird's-eye view were rare, but on a quiet day even a vigilant observer standing almost anywhere above the undulating length of the front line would have been hard pressed to detect any sign of life and, apart from the odd burst of desultory fire, any evidence that the trenches were manned at all. On the British side the fire was desultory because bullets were too precious to waste, and also because the soldiers were disinclined to shoot. Nineteen fifteen had swept in on the back of a gale, and high winds and violent rainstorms continued to torment the men in the trench line for day after dreary day. Peering across the parapet, enveloped in a clammy groundsheet that mainly served to channel the rain into rivers that trickled into his puttees and seeped downwards to chill his feet, contemplating the ever- worsening state of the rifle that rested on the oozing mud-filled sandbags, the last thing a soldier wished to do was foul the barrel by firing it if he could help it. Cleaning the outside was bad enough, and no sensible soldier was belligerent enough to wish to spend hours cleaning the bore for the sake of a few pot-shots in the general direction of the enemy.

Such belligerence as there was at present was largely directed by officers towards their own troops. Authority on both sides of the line had strongly disapproved of the Christmas spirit of goodwill that had brought the front-line soldiers of both sides out of their trenches to swap greetings and gifts, and the rebukes that had passed down the chain of command through discomfited Brigadiers, Colonels and Majors to the rank and file, had left them in no doubt that such a thing must not occur again. But it was good while it lasted.

Parcels had arrived by the trainload from Germany and by the boatload from England, from places as far apart as Falmouth and Flensburg, Ullapool and Ulm. So many trains were required to bring the flood of Christmas mail to France from the Fatherland that German transport and supply depots were seriously disrupted, and even officers at the front complained that crowded billets and narrow trenches were becoming dangerously congested, for goods and parcels were showered on the troops by legions of anonymous donors as well as by friends and families. In most German towns and villages committees had been formed to raise funds and send Christmas parcels, Weinachtspaketen, to the troops. The more sentimental called them 'love parcels' - Liebespaketen - and at least one recipient, fighting for the Kaiser in the comfortless trenches of the Argonne was struck by the irony of the name. He expressed his thoughts in a plaintive verse that appeared in one of the many columns of thank-you letters in a German newspaper whose readers had been particularly generous. 'So much love,' he sighed, 'and no girls to deliver it!' Even the Kaiser sent cigars - ten per man - in tasteful individual boxes inscribed 'Weinachten im Feld, 1914.'

The British soldiers had also received a royal gift (a useful metal box from Princess Mary, containing cigarettes, or pipe tobacco, or chocolate for non-smokers); they had plum puddings sent by the Daily Mail, chocolate from Cadbury, butterscotch from Callard & Bowser, gifts from the wives of officers of a dozen different regiments, and a mountain or private parcels bulging with homemade cake, sweetmeats, and comforts galore. There were more than enough to spare, and plenty to share with temporary friends over the way. The men drew the line at presenting an enemy soldier with socks of mufflers knitted by the home fireside, but kind donors in Britain, as in Germany, would have been astonished had they known how much plum pudding and Christmas cake would end up in Fritz's stomach, swapped for a lump of German sausage or a drop of beer or Rheinwein shared matily in No Man's Land." - from Chapter One

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Johns Hopkins University Press; First Edition (April 21, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 672 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0801864437
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0801864438
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.56 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #750,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #165 in WWI Biographies
- #1,066 in World War I History (Books)
- #3,258 in Historical European Biographies (Books)

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Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2023

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I knew I was purchasing a used book which can sometimes be a dodgy prospect. The book arrived well packaged and in excellent condition. Just as described.

I know I will not be disappointed.

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2014

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Lyn MacDonald deserves an accolade for practically bringing the history of WW1 back to life. So vivid in description are her accounts of the course of the war in 1915 both on the western front and Gallipoli, that the extent of horrors endured by those who served leave the reader in a state of shock and deep respect for those who sacrificed their all.

Furthermore, personal accounts from individual soldiers who served where consistently given at just the right place, poignantly complimenting respective phases of the conflict. So much so, that again it was almost as though the reader was looking through a window, watching events unfold.

I'm on a roll. This was the second book that I have recently read from Lyn MacDonald, and I'm now hooked on a desire to read more. I know I will not be disappointed.

3 people found this helpful

Interesting read.

Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2021

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An eye opener.

One person found this helpful

1915 A classic account of the true horrors of war

Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2002

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Lyn MacDonald's book captures the true and complete horror of warfare in this book. Rich in detail and telling accounts by the men that fought in the savage and bloody battles in 1915. A must read for someone trying to understand the daily misery and destruction of a generation of brave men. By far, my favorite book in the series, but not to discount the others, each of which is a classic and should be read in sequence to grasp the fullness of the story of The Great War.

2 people found this helpful

The year of war that set the course for a century and beyond

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2020

I'm increasingly coming to believe that World War I was the defining event of the twentieth century: not only a cataclysm which destroyed the confident assumptions of the past, but which set history inexorably on a path which would lead to even greater tragedies and horrors as that century ran its course. This book provides an excellent snapshot of what the British people, both at the front and back home, were thinking during the first full year of the war, as casualties mounted and hope faded for the quick victory almost all expected at the outset.

The book does not purport to be a comprehensive history of the war, nor even of the single year it chronicles. It covers only the British Army: the Royal Navy is mentioned only in conjunction with troop transport and landings, and the Royal Flying Corps scarcely at all. The forces of other countries, allied or enemy, are mentioned only in conjunction with their interaction with the British, and no attempt is made to describe the war from their perspective. Finally, the focus is almost entirely on the men in the trenches and their commanders in the field: there is little focus on the doings of politicians and the top military brass, nor on grand strategy, although there was little of that in evidence in the events of 1915 in any case.

Within its limited scope, however, the book succeeds superbly. About a third of the text is extended quotations from people who fought at the front, many from contemporary letters home. Not only do you get an excellent insight into how horrific conditions were in the field, but also how stoically those men accepted them, hardly ever questioning the rationale for the war or the judgement of those who commanded them. And this in the face of a human cost which is nearly impossible to grasp by the standards of present-day warfare. Between the western front and the disastrous campaign in Gallipoli, the British suffered more than half a million casualties (killed, wounded, and missing) (p. 597). In “quiet periods” when neither side was mounting attacks, simply manning their own trenches, British casualties averaged five thousand a week (p. 579), mostly from shelling and sniper fire.

And all of the British troops who endured these appalling conditions were volunteers—conscription did not begin in Britain until 1916. With the Regular Army having been largely wiped out in the battles of 1914, the trenches were increasingly filled with Territorial troops who volunteered for service in France, units from around the Empire: India, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and as the year progressed, Kitchener's “New Army” of volunteer recruits rushed through training and thrown headlong into the killing machine. The mindset that motivated these volunteers and the conclusions drawn from their sacrifice set the stage for the even greater subsequent horrors of the twentieth century.

Why? Because they accepted as given that their lives were, in essence, the property of the state which governed the territory in which they happened to live, and that the rulers of that state, solely on the authority of having been elected by a small majority of the voters in an era when suffrage was far from universal, had every right to order them to kill or be killed by subjects of other states with which they had no personal quarrel. (The latter point was starkly illustrated when, at Christmas 1914, British and German troops declared an impromptu cease-fire, fraternised, and played football matches in no man's land before, the holiday behind them, returning to the trenches to resume killing one another for King and Kaiser.) This was a widely shared notion, but the first year of the Great War demonstrated that the populations of the countries on both sides really believed it, and would charge to almost certain death even after being told by Lord Kitchener himself on the parade ground, “that our attack was in the nature of a sacrifice to help the main offensive which was to be launched ‘elsewhere’ ” (p. 493). That individuals would accept their rôle as property of the state was a lesson which the all-encompassing states of the twentieth century, both tyrannical and more or less democratic, would take to heart, and would manifest itself not only in conscription and total war, but also in expropriation, confiscatory taxation, and arbitrary regulation of every aspect of subjects' lives. Once you accept that the state is within its rights to order you to charge massed machine guns with a rifle and bayonet, you're unlikely to quibble over lesser matters.

Further, the mobilisation of the economy under government direction for total war was taken as evidence that central planning of an industrial economy was not only feasible but more efficient than the market. Unfortunately, few observed that there is a big difference between consuming capital to build the means of destruction over a limited period of time and creating new wealth and products in a productive economy. And finally, governments learnt that control of mass media could mould the beliefs of their subjects as the rulers wished: the comical Fritz with which British troops fraternised at Christmas 1914 had become the detested Boche whose trenches they shelled continuously on Christmas Day a year later (p. 588).

It is these disastrous “lessons” drawn from the tragedy of World War I which, I suspect, charted the tragic course of the balance of the twentieth century and the early years of the twenty-first. Even a year before the outbreak of World War I, almost nobody imagined such a thing was possible, or that it would have the consequences it did. One wonders what will be the equivalent defining event of the twenty-first century, when it will happen, and in what direction it will set the course of history?

2 people found this helpful

Death of innocence sums it up nicely

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2002

Some people may criticise this book for not including the French. But to do that, it would have to come in several volumes. World War One is just too vast to include everyone from both sides in one volume. What is covered very well is the experiences of those at the "sharp end". Generals and maps are very well for those who want to follow the overall view, but that does not cover the misery of the rifleman and company officers who did not have the luxury of comfortable billets and lack of danger enjoyed by the higher ranks. Drawing a line on a piece of paper is a far cry from having to man that line. Ordering an attack is easy for those who don't have to do the attacking and have no idea of the conditions of the soldier who has to advance through mud and barbed wire. I am reminded of a staff officer who, on seeing the actual front line after the battle of the Somme said "My God, did we send men to fight in that!"

7 people found this helpful

As an Englishman in Flanders

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 1998

I have lived in Flanders for the past 9 years. Just over one year ago I picked up my first Lyn MacDonald "novel". I have now read and in some cases reread all of her books. They tell the story as no other author can. This book is like all her others. Magnificent. Now every day when I commute to the office the I view the countryside with a very different outlook. I think the story of WW1 is impossible to tell, but Lyn lets us glimps at just a small part of something that changed the future of the world forever.
Thank you Lyn.

14 people found this helpful

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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 15, 2023

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Arrived within timeframe. In good condition. Pleased with service

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required reading for just about everyone

Reviewed in Canada on October 27, 2020

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This is a remarkably thoroughly researched account of the futility and folly of WW1. It should be required reading for all whose countries participated in that dreadful bout of inhumanity. Are we doing any batter today?

KeithT

Excellent book in great condition very accurate description very pleased.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2022

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This is an extremely good book and in a used condition

wang chow

First hand account of the Great WR

Reviewed in Canada on September 23, 2016

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Very informative book that takes the reader right inside the minds of participants and experience the horrors of the Great War.

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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2012

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This First World War book is now out of print and I was very pleased to get it as an incident is mentioned that concerns a relative of mine. Book as described and service prompt. No complaints whatsoever.

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