Rats Alley: Trench Names of the Western Front, 1914-1918

This book makes it possible to comprehend, via the trench naming, the daily life in the trenches, the vast range of weaponry and the lethal nature of the titanic battles. Names such as Lovers Lane, Doleful Post, Cyanide Trench and Gangrene Alley are as revealing as any history. While based upon the British trenches, there is a comparison with French and German practice. While a poignant concordance of suffering and an intriguing study of language itself, this book is also a vital research tool for military and family historians. AUTHOR: Dr Peter Chasseaud is the acknowledged expert on First World War survey and mapping. He was a commissioner on the A19 (Ypres battlefield) project, and is involved in battlefield archaeology and research. He has worked for TV and on the Naval & Military Press/Imperial War Museum 1914-18 Maps CD project. He has also published several books and is an acclaimed military historian. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the Royal United Services Institute. SELLING POINTS: . Easy-to-use gazetteer style containing over 20,000 trench names with map references . Main focus on British trenches, but also looks at French and . German naming practices . Vital research tool for military and family historians . Foreword by Alan Sillitoe 768pp + 16pp colour 60 b/w illustrations 20 colour maps