Britain's Last Tommies at Passchendaele
Posted on Tuesday 31st July 2012


[Ed. It seems likely that the first man Eustace saw shot for desertion was Private Charles Deeper of 1/4th Royal Berkshire Regiment. Forty men from the battalion were paraded as witnesses to the execution. The second man shot was probably Sergeant John Wall of the 3rd Worcester Regiment, also for desertion.]

(Private Harry Patch, 7th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, 1898-2009)

(Lance Corporal Vic Cole, 1st Queen's Own, Royal West Kent Regiment, 1897-1995)
(Private Dick Trafford, 1/9th Kings Liverpool Regiment, 1898-1999)


Further Reading
Britain's Last Tommies
(Hardback)
ISBN: 9781844153152
by Richard van Emden
Only £19.99
On the centenary of the Great War, there are now no longer any veterans alive of the six million men who served on the Western Front. Although this means that the Great War as a living history is to all intents and purposes over, the twenty years Richard van Emden spent interviewing and carefully recording the memories of over 270 veterans, makes this extraordinary collection of stories even more poignant.
As well as stories told by the veterans themselves, Richard has also included his own memories…
Read more at Pen & Sword Books...
Of further interest...

Passchendaele: The German Experience
Tue 31st JulyThe German experience at the Third Battle of Ypres, extracted from The german Army at Passchendaele by Jack Sheldon and reproduced by permission of Pen and Sword Books Ltd. Read article...

Richard van Emden on The Great War - Why We Should Remember
Thu 15th MayA column by First World War author and historian Richard van Emden on veterans of the Great War and his experiences of meeting and interviewing them over the past two decades. Read article...

Author talk: Richard Van Emden
Wed 6th AprilAs his latest work, The Somme, is released, we chatted to best-selling Great War author Richard Van Emden about his career, Harry Patch and the Somme centenary Read article...

Ypres - The Fall of Passchendaele
Wed 31st OctoberA look at the fall of Passchendaele and the end of the Third Battle of Ypres, extracted from Passchendaele – The Fight for the Village by Nigel Cave. Read article...