The Great War in the voices of the people

A new book which captures the experiences of the people of Northumberland and Tyneside during the First World War in their own words has been published this month.
Men of 1st Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, after the attack on St Eloi,  March 27, 1916.Men of 1st Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, after the attack on St Eloi,  March 27, 1916.
Men of 1st Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, after the attack on St Eloi, March 27, 1916.

Northumberland and Tyneside’s War – Voices of the First World War, by Neil R Storey and Fiona Kay, tells the story of the people of the region during the conflict, both in action on the front line and on the Home Front.

The book is filled with many previously-unpublished accounts such as the stories of soldiers written in their own words in letters from the front line and in accounts written in the years after that have remained in family archives ever since.

The front cover of Northumberland and Tyneside's War.The front cover of Northumberland and Tyneside's War.
The front cover of Northumberland and Tyneside's War.
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There are also numerous accounts published in local newspapers during the years 1914 to 1919 and not published since.

Illustrated with a wonderful selection of photographs from the authors’ extensive archive of original photographs and postcards, many of which have not been published since the war, this book presents a fascinating and revealing insight into the story of the North East, its military forces and its people during the Great War.

Neil R Storey is an award-winning social historian specialising in the study of the impact of war on British society in the first half of the 20th century. Fiona Kay lives in Northumberland and has known the county all her life.

She has had a life-long interest in the First World War and has worked on the award-winning King’s Men project for Sandringham, the Edith Cavell centenary project and Somme 100.

The 128-page Northumberland and Tyneside’s War, featuring 100 pictures, is published by Amberley, priced at £14.99. Visit www.amberley-books.com