Ghosts of War: A History of World War I in Poetry and Prose
The First World War produced a unique outpouring of prose and poetry depicting the stark realism of a brutal and futile war; no war before or since has been so extensively chronicled nor its misery so exposed. First-hand experiences in the trenches compelled poets such as Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen to write with a resolute honesty, describing events with more feeling and sincerity than the heavily censored letters that were sent home. Accounts of the Great War are typically written from an English perspective, but Ghosts of War encompasses a selection of contributions from across Europe and America, with an emphasis on the Scottish involvement. Using the words of over one hundred poets and writers, Andrew Ferguson recounts the war from its optimistic beginning to its sombre conclusion, bringing the conflict to life in a dramatic, emotive and, at times, humorous way.
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Ghosts of War: A History of World War I in Poetry and Prose
The First World War produced a unique outpouring of prose and poetry depicting the stark realism of a brutal and futile war; no war before or since has been so extensively chronicled nor its misery so exposed. First-hand experiences in the trenches compelled poets such as Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen to write with a resolute honesty, describing events with more feeling and sincerity than the heavily censored letters that were sent home. Accounts of the Great War are typically written from an English perspective, but Ghosts of War encompasses a selection of contributions from across Europe and America, with an emphasis on the Scottish involvement. Using the words of over one hundred poets and writers, Andrew Ferguson recounts the war from its optimistic beginning to its sombre conclusion, bringing the conflict to life in a dramatic, emotive and, at times, humorous way.
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Ghosts of War: A History of World War I in Poetry and Prose

Ghosts of War: A History of World War I in Poetry and Prose

by Andrew Ferguson
Ghosts of War: A History of World War I in Poetry and Prose

Ghosts of War: A History of World War I in Poetry and Prose

by Andrew Ferguson

Hardcover

$16.95 
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Overview

The First World War produced a unique outpouring of prose and poetry depicting the stark realism of a brutal and futile war; no war before or since has been so extensively chronicled nor its misery so exposed. First-hand experiences in the trenches compelled poets such as Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen to write with a resolute honesty, describing events with more feeling and sincerity than the heavily censored letters that were sent home. Accounts of the Great War are typically written from an English perspective, but Ghosts of War encompasses a selection of contributions from across Europe and America, with an emphasis on the Scottish involvement. Using the words of over one hundred poets and writers, Andrew Ferguson recounts the war from its optimistic beginning to its sombre conclusion, bringing the conflict to life in a dramatic, emotive and, at times, humorous way.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780750967693
Publisher: The History Press
Publication date: 10/20/2016
Pages: 288
Product dimensions: 5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Andrew Ferguson is a Patron of the Imperial War Museum and the author of Scots Who Enlightened the World.

Table of Contents

Foreword Nicolo Sturgeon 9

Acknowledgements 10

Ghosts of War 12

Maps 14

Introduction 20

The War Poets 21

1 Setting the Scene 43

The Three Cousins 43

Growing Tension 45

Choosing Your Partner 46

The Simmering Brew 47

2 The Overture 49

Stirring the Ethnic Soup 49

Sarajevo: June 1914 50

The Austrian Ultimatum 51

The Schlieffen Plan: Germany Declares War 53

3 The Curtain Rises 55

Germany Invades Belgium: Britain Declares War 55

'Your King and Country Want You' 59

Kitchener's Army 62

The Human Cost 65

4 Act 1: The Opening of Hostilities 68

The British Expeditionary Force 68

The British Arrive in France 75

The First Battle of Ypres (19 October-22 November 1914) 79

Life in the Trenches 80

The Battle of the Falklands (8 December 1914) 88

The Christmas Truce (24 December 1914) 91

Austria's Wars 94

The Russian Campaign 96

5 Act 2: The War in 1915 98

The Western Front 98

The Weapons of War 100

The Second Battle of Ypres (22 April-27 May 1915) 103

The Eastern Front 106

Italy (Eventually) Enters the War (23 May 1915) 110

War by Proxy - The War in the Colonies 114

The Dardanelles Campaign (19 February 1915-9January 1916) 116

The War in the Air 125

The Sinking of RMS Lusitania (7 May 1915) 131

Aubers Ridge and the Battle of Festubert (9 May and 15-25 May 1915) 132

No Man's Land 139

Such is Death - A Sonnet by Charles Hamilton Sorley 141

The Poppies in Flanders Fields 142

The Battle of Loos: The 'Scottish Battle' (5 Septernber-7 November 1915) 143

When You See Millions of the Mouthless Dead - Charles Hamilton Sorley 153

The Meeting of Graves and Sassoon 154

Christ in Flanders 155

The Care of the Wounded 157

The Defeat of Serbia 165

Snow in France 167

6 Act 3: Haig Takes Command 183

The Battle of Verdun (21 February-18 December 1916) 183

In Memoriam: Private D. Sutherland 185

The Battle of Jutland (31 May 1916) 188

The Battle of the Somme (1 July-18 November 1916) 192

The Baleful Bard - Ewart Alan Mackintosh 208

The Arab Revolt (5 June 1916) 210

7 Act 4: The War in 1917 214

The Winter of l916-1917 214

The Tsar Abdicates (15 March 1917) 216

The United States Declares War on Germany (6 April 1917) 217

The Battle of Arras (9 April-16 May 1917) 219

'A Soldier's Declaration' 222

'Dottyville': Craiglockhart Hospital 225

The Third Battle of Ypres: The Battle of Passchendaele (31 July-10 November 1917) 237

The Battle of Cambrai (20 November-7 December 1917) 244

Ewart Alan Mackintosh 246

8 The Last Act 252

The Michael Offensive (21 March 1918) 252

The Battle of Amiens: The Allies Advance (8 August 1918) 259

The Final Assault (26 September 1918) 260

The Armistice is Signed (11 November l918) 264

9 The Curtain Falls 267

The Treaty of Versailles 267

Britain After the War 268

The Impact of the War on Scotland 272

'The Pity of War' 274

Sources 282

Index of Poems 285

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