Soldiering On: British Tommies After the First World War

The first and only book that covers the whole range of British ex-servicemen’s experiences in the interwar period in a single volume. A month after the Armistice, Prime Minister David Lloyd George promised to make Britain a ‘land fit for heroes’. The phrase is now ridiculed, but it was widely believed at the time. Soldiers expected decent treatment and recognition for what they had done, yet the fine words of 1918 were not matched by actions. The following years saw little change, as a lack political will watered down any reform. Beggars in trench coats became a common sight in British cities. No More Soldiering for Me examines how the Lost Generation adjusted to civilian life. How they coped with PTSD or a disability; their struggle to find a job or even communicate with their family. It’s a story of a group of men who survived the trenches but were often ignored when they came home. No More Soldiering for Me traces the lives of veterans from the first day of peace to the start of the Second World War. It points to the many injustices ex-servicemen bore, while celebrating the heroism they showed in the face of a world too quick to forget. AUTHOR: Adam Powell has taught British and European History for over 25 years at British and international schools and has been a tour guide on the Western Front since the 1990s. His first book, History’s Worst, was published in 2014.
16 b/w illustrations