Overview

This is the story of men from either side of West Belfast's sectarian divide during the Great War. Richard S. Grayson follows the volunteers of the 36th and 16th divisions who fought on the Somme and side-by-side at Messines, recovering the forgotten West Belfast men throughout the armed forces, from the retreat at Mons to the defeat of Germany and life post-war. In so doing, he tells a new story which challenges popular perceptions of the war and explains why remembrance remains so controversial in Belfast today.

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9781441105196

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Reviews

'Provocative, meticulously researched and referenced.' - Irish Times 'A highly considered work of careful and scholarly reclamation, and a vivid evocation of a divided city' - Sunday Business Post '[Grayson] provides a new form of social-military history... [A] painstaking study... This book provides an invaluable service to both sides in their bid to evaluate individual and shared histories.' - Times Higher Education 'Highly readable' - Myles Dungan, Today with Pat Kenny, RTE Radio 1 'A brilliant book' - Dr Patrick Geoghegan, Talking History, Newstalk 106-108FM

In this book, Grayson takes a new tack in studying the First World War: instead of looking at the men in specific units, he began with a particular area and then looked to see where the men from that area fought. The result is this compelling story of the involvement of West Belfast's men fighting on the Western Front over the entire course of the war and of their lives post-war. This new story challenges popular perceptions of the war and explains why remembrance of the First World War remains so controversial in Belfast today. -- Eithne O'Leyne, BOOK NEWS, Inc. [An] important study. * Contemporary Review * An original and valuable work of scholarship, confirming the importance of history, not least to those who have so often been its victims. -- Adrian Gilbert, War Books Review Richard Grayson paints his picture of religious co-operation from a human perspective - focusing on the young squaddies who fought and died together. * Tribune * Highly readable. -- Myles Dungan, Today with Pat Kenny, RTE Radio 1 A brilliant book. -- Dr Patrick Geoghegan, Talking History, Newstalk 106-108FM Mention in The Times, December 2009 Grayson has used an innovative method to provide an immensely readable history of a locality swept into continental events. His diligent research allows him to detail the lives and community conflicts that they re-entered upon their return. It should be read by all with an interest in Irish history, and indeed those with an appreciation for solidly researched, well-crafted scholarship. * Royal United Services Institute Journa * That rare thing, a book that says something new about the Irish experience of World War One. The book deserves a wide audience and is well researched and written. The scholarship, though extensive, is lightly worn and the book is very readable. Wherever possible, the soldiers and their families speak for themselves. * Books Ireland * Willingness to find common ground and move forward through remembrance has clearly played a role in the imperfect but essentially stable peace process. By writing an accessible and even-handed account of the wartime experience of the men of West Belfast, Richard Grayson has made a small but valuable contribution to that process. * History Ireland * Provocative, meticulously researched and referenced. * Irish Times * Admirable ... a very human story of ordinary west Belfastmen in extraordinary times ... some of the detail [Grayson] includes I have never come across in a book before. * Irish News * A real insight into the experiences these brave men faced. * Irish Post * A highly considered work of careful and scholarly reclamation, and a vivid evocation of a divided city. * Sunday Business Post * [Grayson] provides a new form of social-military history ... [A] painstaking study ... This book provides an invaluable service to both sides in their bid to evaluate individual and shared histories. * Times Higher Education * The book is to be commended or the manner in which it has brought the historiography up to date, and for the useful explanations it provides of its research methodology. Above all, it is noteworthy for allowing the stories of men and families to be told that have all too often languished in the forgotten reaches of the past. -- Alun Thomas, Univeristy of Birmingham, UK * Army Historical Research *

Author Information

Richard S. Grayson is Professor of Twentieth Century History at Goldsmiths, University of London, UK.

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