The Colcestrian in the years of the Great War, reproduced here in this book, both revealed the challenges which faced the school of the time and captured the very special quality that still characterises CRGS today. The bouleversement caused by war created an extraordinary backdrop to school life, and the insights given into the preoccupations of the time are truly fascinating.

The words of Unknown Warriors resonate as powerfully today as when first written. The book offers a very personal glimpse into the hidden world of the military field hospital where patients struggled with pain and trauma, and nurses fought to save lives and preserve emotional integrity.The book’s author was one of a select number of fully trained military nurses who worked in hospital trains and casualty clearing stations during the First World War, coming as close to the front as a woman could. Kate Luard was already a war veteran when she arrived in France in 1914, aged 42, having served in the Second Boer War. At the height of the Battle of Passchendaele, she was in charge of a casualty clearing station with a staff of forty nurses and nearly 100 nursing orderlies.She was awarded the RRC and Bar (a rare distinction) and was Mentioned in Despatches for gallant and distinguished service in the field. Through her letters home she conveyed a vivid and honest portrait of war. It is also a portrait of close family affection and trust in a world of conflict. In publishing some of these letters in Unknown Warriors her intention was to bear witness to the suffering of the ordinary soldier.

The fullest account yet of the British home front in the First World War and how war changed Britain forever.

Before the First World War, Essex was a very different county from that which we know today. The economy was largely based on agriculture, and its people rarely travelled beyond its borders, or even out of their towns or villages. The war opened up a whole new world for the people of Essex. Men from the county enlisted in Kitchener's Army and travelled abroad, and many troops came into the camps and barracks which sprang up around the countryside. Some of these men came from all points of the British Empire and had enlisted to fight for the mother country. Essex was a key area during the war. Situated on the east coast, it was thought that the enemy could potentially use it as a site for invasion, so many defences were set up all round the county. Essex was subjected to great danger and harsh times by the enemy in the form of air raids from Zeppelins, and later, from the more potent aeroplane attacks. This well-illustrated and informative book sets out the experiences of the county and its inhabitants against what was happening in the broader theatre of war. It offers a valuable insight into life for Essex folk in the First World War and will appeal to anyone interested in the county's history.

Cheltenham in the Great War is the first book to portray the town, its people and the impact of the 'war to end all wars' from the declaration of war in 1914 to Armistice Day in 1918. Almost 1,000 Cheltenham women left by train every day for munitions work, hundreds made airplanes in the Winter Gardens, many were nurses and most former suffragettes joined the WVR. Why did two schools do double shifts and for what did the townspeople raise £186,000 in one week in 1918? How did Cheltenham cope with 7,250 soldiers billeted in the town and 'khaki fever'? This book gives an insight into the lives of different social classes in Cheltenham – including stories of remarkable women – and how their war was fought on the Home Front. The Great War story of Cheltenham is told through considerable new research and is vividly illustrated throughout with evocative, informative images, many of which have not been published previously.

A comparative study of the cultural impact of the Great War on British and German societies. Taking medievalism as a mode of public commemorations as its focus, this book unravels the British and German search for historical continuity and meaning in the shadow of an unprecedented human catastrophe.

Many schools may have done as well but none have done better ~ Percy Shaw Jeffrey Echoing the words of Percy Shaw Jeffrey, the headmaster of Colchester Royal Grammar School at the start of the First World War, this book tells the story of the global conflict through the lives of the former pupils and teachers who are commemorated on the school's war memorial. It retraces their early days in the classroom and on the playing field and their actions during some of the major events and battles of the First World War, from Ypres and the Somme to Palestine and Egypt, as well as at sea and in the air. Published to coincide with the centenary of the armistice, this collection of biographies provides a fascinating and timely account of the experiences of a generation of Old Colcestrians whose legacy of service and courage is unmatched. Additional essays examine the historical context and other remembrance events by the school community, including visits to the graves and memorials of the fallen. This record of their lives ensures that their ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten.

These 2 novels are visionary fantasy books, and paradoxical, extremely popular in Britain before the horrors of World War I. "The Great War in England in 1897" – Coalition forces led by Russia and France invade Britain and make several early advances, but the Germans land in Britain as allies coming to help repulse the invasion. The brave English patriots, together with German soldiers, will try to turn the tide. "The Invasion of 1910" – Sides are turned and Germany is an invader now. The German soldiers have managed to land a sizable invasion force on the East Coast of England. They advance inland, cutting all telegraph lines and despoiling farmland as they go. The British struggle to mount a proper defense, and the Germans eventually reach London and occupy half the city. William Le Queux (1864-1927) was an Anglo-French writer who mainly wrote in the genres of mystery, thriller, and espionage, particularly in the years leading up to World War I. His best-known works are the anti-French and anti-Russian invasion fantasy "The Great War in England in 1897" and the anti-German invasion fantasy "The Invasion of 1910."