Behind the Front

British Soldiers and French Civilians, 1914–1918

Nonfiction, History, European General, Military
Cover of the book Behind the Front by Craig Gibson, Cambridge University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Craig Gibson ISBN: 9781107779181
Publisher: Cambridge University Press Publication: March 27, 2014
Imprint: Cambridge University Press Language: English
Author: Craig Gibson
ISBN: 9781107779181
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication: March 27, 2014
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Language: English

Until now scholars have looked for the source of the indomitable Tommy morale on the Western Front in innate British bloody-mindedness and irony, not to mention material concerns such as leave, food, rum, brothels, regimental pride, and male bonding. However, re-examining previously used sources alongside never-before consulted archives, Craig Gibson shifts the focus away from battle and the trenches to times behind the front, where the British intermingled with a vast population of allied civilians, whom Lord Kitchener had instructed the troops to 'avoid'. Besides providing a comprehensive examination of soldiers' encounters with local French and Belgian inhabitants which were not only unavoidable but also challenging, symbiotic and uplifting in equal measure, Gibson contends that such relationships were crucial to how the war was fought on the Western Front and, ultimately, to British victory in 1918. What emerges is a novel interpretation of the British and Dominion soldier at war.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Until now scholars have looked for the source of the indomitable Tommy morale on the Western Front in innate British bloody-mindedness and irony, not to mention material concerns such as leave, food, rum, brothels, regimental pride, and male bonding. However, re-examining previously used sources alongside never-before consulted archives, Craig Gibson shifts the focus away from battle and the trenches to times behind the front, where the British intermingled with a vast population of allied civilians, whom Lord Kitchener had instructed the troops to 'avoid'. Besides providing a comprehensive examination of soldiers' encounters with local French and Belgian inhabitants which were not only unavoidable but also challenging, symbiotic and uplifting in equal measure, Gibson contends that such relationships were crucial to how the war was fought on the Western Front and, ultimately, to British victory in 1918. What emerges is a novel interpretation of the British and Dominion soldier at war.

More books from Cambridge University Press

Cover of the book Modern Bribery Law by Craig Gibson
Cover of the book Ultrametric Pseudodifferential Equations and Applications by Craig Gibson
Cover of the book Dynasties by Craig Gibson
Cover of the book The Physics of Rock Failure and Earthquakes by Craig Gibson
Cover of the book The Cambridge French-English Thesaurus by Craig Gibson
Cover of the book Open Access and the Humanities by Craig Gibson
Cover of the book Thinking About Human Memory by Craig Gibson
Cover of the book English Identity and Political Culture in the Fourteenth Century by Craig Gibson
Cover of the book Data Analysis for Physical Scientists by Craig Gibson
Cover of the book The Supreme Court's New Workplace by Craig Gibson
Cover of the book Regulatory Integration Across Borders by Craig Gibson
Cover of the book The Cambridge Companion to Jung by Craig Gibson
Cover of the book Retribution and Reparation in the Transition to Democracy by Craig Gibson
Cover of the book Error and Inference by Craig Gibson
Cover of the book Democracy beyond Athens by Craig Gibson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy