Stolen Lives

The Christmas Truce Meeting between the Warwicks and Saxons

STOLEN LIVES - Individual Tragedies of the Great War

STOLEN LIVES is a collection of short biographies of 50 soldiers (and a nurse) who were tragically killed in the Great War. In a novel approach to honouring the centenary of the Great War, Andrew Hamilton and Alan Reed have compiled  informative and compassionate tributes to personalities whose stories provide a detailed snapshot of society before the outbreak of war and the horrors of life at the Front.

All walks of life
The subjects are from a wide cross-section of society, from Queen Victoria’s 40th grandchild to a Belfast shipbuilding apprentice who was Shot at Dawn for desertion. Some had reached the pinnacle of their careers like an actor, a politician and several sportsmen.  Others had yet to realise their aspirations- a poet, a painter and a composer. A number found fame posthumously as a result of their actions during the War including a double V.C. and a black footballer.

Britain’s Empire Troops
Britain could not have played such a pivotal role in the conflict without support from her Empire’s troops- an Australian V.C., a Canadian allegedly ‘crucified’ by the Germans and an Indian Sikh all considered it their duty to fight for their ‘mother country’.
Each individual’s background, their life before 1914 and reasons for enlisting are examined. Their reactions to the effects of the War and the humour and comradeship in adversity are fascinating features of the book.

Impact on families
A recurring theme in Stolen Lives is the impact on families who suffered the loss of loved ones. Spiritualism, writing commemorative tributes or joining the war effort were all ways in which parents, wives and fiancées attempted to come to terms with  their loss.

Guided Tour
Readers are taken on a guided tour of the cemeteries and memorials of northern France and Belgium to find where the subjects of the book are buried or commemorated. The achievements of Sir Fabian Ware and his team of architects in designing magnificent tributes to the fallen are highlighted throughout.

A design triumph!
Stolen Lives is a beautifully designed book in the same well-received style of Meet at Dawn, Unarmed about the Royal Warwicks and the Christmas Truce of 1914. The text is enhanced by the incorporation of over 400 photographs- black and white originals and striking colour photographs as well as cartoons and easily-followed maps.

Authors: Andrew Hamilton and Alan Reed
Published by: Dene House Publishing
Email:    denehouse@btconnect.com
Website: www.meetatdawnunarmed.co.uk
Phone: 01789 842903 / 07743 696166
Publication date: 28 May 2014
ISBN: 978-0-9561820-2-9
Price: (inc. postage) £25.00

Pages: 352
Format: Hardback
Photographs: Colour:  224,  Black and White:  206
Cartoons:    8
Maps:    4

A selection of images from Stolen Lives

 

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