Men of 18 in 1918: Memories of the Western Front in World War One

I have only read one or two books about ww1. I am very glad I saw this one. This is most interesting and will give you a good idea of what it was like in the trenches!!!

Written decades after the conclusion of WWI, this book relates the experiences of an 18 year old British soldier entering the war in 1918. The Germans have begun their startling effective Spring offensive and the British need all of their soldiers, even those who haven’t completed their training, to shore up the lines. During this period, the reader gets a glimpse of war in the trenches.By August, the momentum shifts and the British and their Allies begin their big offensive. It is now a war of mobility and the war ceases by November.The author offers his perspective on this episode of the conflict and I found them to be interesting and enlightening. It might have been even better had he tackled this book even sooner.

I enjoyed the details of life in the war and the matter of fact way the author related the day to day life and battles. My grandfather was there also, so it was fascinating to hear so many details that he probably also witnessed.

Joining the British Army during the last year of WWI (1918), Hodges recounts the horrors of fighting in the trenches of France. From his induction up thru demobilization, this personal account exposes daily life in the horrendously costly war. The fears, boredom, overwhelming carnage, philosophical evolution, and humor of this horrible experience are vividly recounted.

This book is an excellent history of a British infantry soldier drafted at 18 who served and survived the major battles of the Great War in France fighting the Germans to the end of the war on November 11, 1918. One needs to read this book to learn of the thousands of soldiers on both sides, German and British, who were killed in that war from the first battle of the Somme in 1916 to the final battles in 1918. Very interesting is the fact that the Author and his wife both lived to be over 100 years old!

Well written with lots of details but not granular. It’s hard to believe anybody lived through that war. a very sincere account of his tour of duty.

The author writes about events in 1918 and places you there with him....all your senses are stimulated. Very well written and informative. A good read!

Very interesting book, but it read more like time at a summer camp rather than war. I have read a number of WWI personal stories, and this while educational seemed very sterile. To me it lacked any emotion or feeling. I found myself having to plow through to the end rather than the book taking me along. For me it was good, but not great.

This is a fantastic read. As the title suggests its the memoirs of an 18 year old whose training was cut short and was sent with tens of thousands of 18 year olds to reinforce the British during the massive German 1918 spring offensives. He did not know that he would then go on to see victory in a few months. The spirit and professionalism of the army by 1918 is awesome . It is a great way to understand what Britain was like in 1918 and the winning attitude of the time. Its also reminds us that these were not black and white people in films or very old men but men who went on to live their lives and some when in their fifties wanted to record their own WW1 memories.

An amazing read, quite different from the usual books about WW1, it makes you feel like you are there next to the author experiencing what he describes in flowing detail.If you like factual fast paced stories of experiences during war, then this is the book for you. Do yourself an absolute favour and buy this book, you will not regret it!

This book gives a stark reminder of the terrible slaughter that occurred in the trench warfare of WWI This is about boys who were 14 or 15 at the beginning of the war and who were recruited into the army when they reached 18. They joined a battalion that had only a small handful of its original strength remaining. Up to then there had been huge wastage as large numbers of men went to be slaughtered whilst trying to penetrate a wall of machine gun fire. In 1918, this way had been somewhat modified with a realisation that there was a growing shortage of recruits. Nevertheless life expectancy was short. Why didn’t these boys turn around and flee this place of death and horror? The simple explanation was that, knowing what had happened to those that had gone before then, they knew that they could only live for a short time. This was from young men, not from old people.

This is an excellent account of an 18 year old entering the Western Front shortly after the March 1918 German Offensive.The author approaches this subject in a very interesting and detailed way, there are a lot of small incidents that happen, that add a great deal to what it must have been like in that year of the War.Highly recommend this work to anyone who is interested in the First World War and in particular the period March to November 1918 and the Victory for the Allies.

I wanted to read this book written by an infantryman in the 10th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers because my great grandad was killed at Le Transloy 2/09/1918. It details battles, routes, trench life, everything in a truthful, compassionate way without waffling. Well written and gives me an insight into what my great grandad went through and sadly that he died not long before the war ended. His body is still out there , never recovered. Pleased that Frederick made it home in one piece and wrote his story.