Private Beatson's War - A Diary of the Great War
27 Nov 09
"Private Beatson’s War" – A Diary of the Great War edited by Shaun Springer and Stuart Humphreys with foreward by Henry Allingham
All royalties from sales of this remarkable book are being donated to two charities
St Dunstan's and Starlight Children's Foundation.
About Private Beatson’s War:
Until recently James Beatson was one of the millions of forgotten soldiers of the Great War. Today after 90 years his diary has been rediscovered, perfectly preserved, and his story is now told in a book "Private Beatson’s War - Life, Death and Hope on the Western Front".
It is a moving, intensely personal and beautifully written narrative by an extraordinary young man who witnessed one of the darkest episodes in European history. It provides the reader with a telling insight into the thoughts and reactions of a self-educated, patriotic and religious individual confronted by the horrors of warfare on the Western Front. Indeed, after reading the diary of a dead German soldier, Beatson begins to identify more with the thoughts and fears of his enemy than he does with those he loves at home.
Reminiscent of some of the greatest of the First World War authors, the diary is also the record of a gifted writer whose potential was tragically curtailed. For, shortly after marrying his childhood sweetheart, he was killed in action at the Battle of the Somme in one of the many failed attacks on High Wood.
For this, the first publication of Beatson’s diary, Shaun Springer and Stuart Humphreys have edited and illustrated the text and provided an introduction, describing Beatson’s family background and the campaign on the Western Front in which he took part.
The book is available at the special price of £15.99, when ordered directly from the publishers Pen & Sword Books Limited.
To place an order please call on 01226 734222 or place your order online at www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
ISBN: 978 1 84884 082 9 Hardback 176 pages
Private Beatson's War