Tommy Atkins at War

British soldiers cross the Channel singing, then find crowds in France and Belgium eager to welcome them with flowers, food and gifts. James Alexander Kilpatrick builds this account of the opening months of the First World War around passages from soldiers' letters, drawing on material published in British newspapers. Their descriptions bring together the excitement of arrival, life under fire and the importance of familiar songs to men far from home.

Later accounts focus on Irish regiments, including a dangerous effort to carry an order across exposed ground and attempts to recover captured guns. The contents also promise chapters on trench humor, officers, aircraft and rations. Published in 1914, the book speaks in a strongly patriotic voice that praises British courage. For readers studying wartime attitudes, its mix of personal testimony and admiring commentary offers a close view of how soldiers' experiences were presented to the public.