Dear Old Blighty

E. S. Turner

• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN: 9780571296934
• Edition: 0
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

'So the recruiters, rolling up their sleeves, varied the appeal to pride, honour, manliness and vengeance with warnings to eschew shame, disgrace, betrayal, sloth and cowardice. From a poster showing the ruins of Belgium a woman asked, 'Will you go or must I?''

First published in 1980, Dear Old Blighty is E.S. Turner's superb account of life 'on the home front' in Britain during the Great War of 1914-1918: a time of conscription, propaganda, 'spy fever', industrial unrest in the arms factories, and grieving families turning to spiritualism. When even the blind were being recruited to serve as listening sentries for approaching Zeppelins, all were expected to contribute to the war effort; and, as Turner shows us, the means of exhortation (and the penalties for non-compliance) were many.

'No matter where you open a page, you learn something you feel you should have known.' Miles Kington, Independent

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Epigraph
• List of Illustrations
• Acknowledgements
• Author’s Note
• Chronology
• Introduction
• CHAPTER 1 : THE GREAT ANGER
• CHAPTER 2 : NOBLESSE OBLIGE
• CHAPTER 3 : SOUND OF THE GUNS
• CHAPTER 4 : HALLUCINATIONS
• CHAPTER 5 : CALLING ALL SWEETHEARTS
• CHAPTER 6 : ‘DEAR BELGIANS!’
• CHAPTER 7 : THE KING’S ERROR
• CHAPTER 8 : HUNWIVES AND OTHERS
• CHAPTER 9 : BEHIND WIRE
• CHAPTER 10 : UNDER THE ZEPPELINS
• CHAPTER 11 : LIVING WITH TELEGRAMS
• CHAPTER 12 : WHISKY ON THE OTHER SIDE
• CHAPTER 13 : STRIFE IN THE FACTORIES
• CHAPTER 14 : ‘COMING TO FETCH YOU!’
• CHAPTER 15 : BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL
• CHAPTER 16 : THE NASTIEST RUMOUR
• CHAPTER 17 : A WHIFF OF REVOLUTION
• CHAPTER 18 : MORALITY AT BAY
• CHAPTER 19 : MOST EXCELLENT ORDER
• CHAPTER 20 : ‘EAT SLOWLY’
• CHAPTER 21 : THE UNSEEN HAND
• CHAPTER 22 : ‘VICTORY IS OURS!’
• Sources
• Select Bibliography
• Index
• Plates
• Copyright