Six Weeks
The Short and Gallant Life of the British Officer in the First World War
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Six Weeks
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Narrated by:
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Roger Davis
About this listen
The extraordinary story of British junior officers in the First World War, who led their men out of the trenches and faced a life expectancy of six weeks.
During the Great War, many boys went straight from the classroom to the most dangerous job in the world - that of junior officer on the Western Front. Although desperately aware of how many of their predecessors had fallen before them, nearly all stepped forward, unflinchingly, to do their duty.
The average life expectancy of a subaltern in the trenches was a mere six weeks.
In this remarkable work, John Lewis-Stempel focuses on the forgotten men who truly won Britain's victory in the First World War - the subalterns, lieutenants and captains of the Army, the leaders in the trenches, the first 'over the top', the last to retreat.
Basing his narrative on a huge range of first-person accounts, including the poignant letters and diaries sent home or to their old schools, the author reveals what motivated these boy-men to act in such an extraordinary, heroic way.
He describes their brief, brilliant lives in and out of the trenches, the tireless ways they cared for their men and how they tried to behave with honour in a world where their values and codes were quite literally being shot to pieces.
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©2019 John Lewis-Stempel (P)2019 Orion Publishing GroupListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Six Weeks
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- crispin70
- 24-11-24
superb
probably the best Great War book I've ever heard. beautifully written and perfectly read. listened to it in two days. utterly gripping and fantastic.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 18-01-24
Sensitive and original story
The author uncovered many stories of individual young officers
who lived or very often died in unimaginable circumstances. The narration was excellent, so good that I will probably listen to this book again.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sam Purchase
- 20-11-20
A beautiful history, masterfully read.
Both poetic in writing and forthright in its narrative. Stempel performs the balancing act of writing a beautiful book on the most ugly of subjects.
The narration by Roger Davis was perfect for a book that leans heavily on works of fiction and poetry, these were sensitively, and powerfully recited.
I cannot recommend it highly enough.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ruth
- 18-07-22
Remember them
A moving insight into the life of a junior officer on the Western Front. We owe the men that fought so much. They should not be forgotten, but remember with such respect for their fight and sacrifice.
A Well written piece. I grew accustomed to the narration and in the end felt it was well done.
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- spen
- 06-06-22
Excellent
What they gave is beyond compensation in this day and age a could never be repeated.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Tattenhoe
- 01-06-23
Outstanding and a must have book.
Without doubt this is one of the best books I’ve read and listened too. The story of the lives of young subalterns during WW1 is vividly told and gives you a true sense of what live was like both in and out of the trenches. I still marvel at how young these boys were when being asked to lead men into battle and who were barely out of school. It is clear that in the majority of cases the actual private soldier respected and admired their junior officers and likewise the officer for his men. Most certainly a golden generation lost and a lot of questions left unanswered of what might have been if they had managed to survive.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Douglas
- 27-04-23
Outstanding
What a superbly written account of the junior officers life from school all the way through to the end of the the war and beyond. Engrossing, informative and emotional. Highly recommend.
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- W. R. Guntrip
- 24-11-22
Superb
The most wonderful of tributes to a magnificent generation, by author and reader alike. Faultless.
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- Sean
- 06-08-24
Very comprehensive account of Junior Officers in WW1
I very much enjoyed the composition of the book, the depth and overall way a junior officer would lead and be so likely to be killed or injured is a testament to their bravery, commitment and calmness under fire.
the narration is superb as usual from Roger.
a lot of the little nuances that are told are new to me and a great insight to a time when we as Britians could be proud.
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- Anonymous User
- 12-10-22
A terrific read!
Beautifully written, an in-depth following of Subalterns from Schooling to the horrors of the trenches. Well structured and with many accounts from across the war and ranks. A book that needed to be written, showing the struggles of low ranking officers.
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