The Tommy's Handbook

The Tommy's Guide to The Great War is told through a compilation of facsimiles from original military guides and booklets produced during World War I for officers and men. Included are chapters exploring all stages of the soldier's experiences, from recruitment and through training, covering topics from drill and marching songs to badges of rank, soldier's equipment, physical, rifle, and machine gun training, and use of the bayonet. It then goes on to active service in the trenches of the Western Front, where the instructions for how to construct a trench are reproduced, along with what to do in the event of a gas attack, scouting, and reconnaissance work, field communications, cookery, cavalry action, how an infantry attack should be carried out, and how casualties and prisoners of war should be dealt with. Packed with excerpts carefully selected by historian Neil R. Storey from his nationally respected archive, this volume provides a revealing and authentic insight into the life of the soldier during World War I, and forms an essential volume for anyone with an interest in the subject.