Publisher's Synopsis
As seen on BBC TV A poignant collection of letters from a young soldier serving in the First World War. In September 1914, 21-year-old Jack Morten answered the call to arms. He and his fellow lacrosse players set out with the 7th Manchesters to end the war before Christmas and from day one, Jack wrote home with stories of life as a Tommy. His mother copied them all out before tying them lovingly with ribbon and saving them in a shoe box. After the war, the letters were lost, to be rediscovered 70 years later. Jack served in North Africa, on the Gallipoli peninsula and in France, and often wrote in the trenches with the noise of battle all around and many of his friends killed or wounded. But beyond his encounters with death and misery is an account of how Jack survived: an enjoyment of parcels from home, attempts at entertainment and a meticulous attention to food.
