During the First World War the British soldiers were renowned for their chirpy songs and plucky sayings. Indeed nothing would lift the spirits of the often exhausted and demoralized troops more than a hearty singalong. These cheery and at times ribald and satiric songs and sayings have been collected together to give a fascinating The songs include marching tunes, songs for billets and rude chants for when no commanding officer was present. Each song is accompanied by a short passage that traces the origins of the melody and accounts for lyrical alternatives. There is also a large glossary of soldiers' slang words and phrases, revealing the Tommies' vocabulary in all its bawdiness. The Daily Telegraph - Dictionary of Tommies' Song and Slang reveals the courage, gaiety and astringent cynicism with which men armed themselves against the horrors of trench warfare. Includes 16 pages of plates illustrating the favourite comic cartoons, recruiting posters and other arresting images from the Great War. AUTHOR: The two authors, John Brophy and Eric Partridge, were both infantryman during the First World War. It is this first-hand experience that gives their work an authentic feel. This edition includes an excellent new introduction by the esteemed historian, Malcolm Brown who is the author and editor of numerous historical and bigraphical works include T.E. Lawrence in War and Peace and Lawrence of Arabia: The Selected Letters. He contributed to five volumes on the 1914-1918 war to the Imperial War Museum series of books about the two world wars which was awarded a Duke of Westminster Medal for Military Literature in 2005. 8 pages b/w photos
