For Team and Country - Sport on the Frontlines of the Great War

Imagine Wayne Rooney, Andy Murray and Mo Farah exchanging the glamour of their careers for the brutality and bloodshed of war - and quietly giving their lives for their country. Today the news would be dominated by the sacrifice of Britain's most famous sporting icons.A century ago the brightest sporting stars of their generation did just that. Thousands of them rallied to their country's colours; many never returned from the mechanised carnage of the Great War, making the ultimate sacrifice in the hardest game of all.In this original and highly accessible book, Tim Tate reveals how sport itself was Britain's first and most vital recruiting sergeant in the fight against Germany and how sportsmen applied their unique talents on the battlefield, but also how a shared sporting spirit offered humane common ground amidst the horror of combat.Above all, For Team and Country tells the remarkable and inspiring stories of the sportsmen whose prowess on the field was matched only by their bravery in the King's uniform. Imagine Wayne Rooney, Andy Murray, and Mo Farah exchanging the glamour of their careers for the brutality of war--and quietly giving their lives for their country. Today the news would be dominated by the sacrifice of Britain's most famous sporting icons. A century ago the brightest sporting stars of their generation did just that: hundreds of thousands of sports stars rallied to their country's colors: many never returned from the mechanised carnage of World War I. The names of Walter Tull, Edgar Mobbs, and Percy Jeeves are unfamiliar today--lost in the terrible lists of the dead of World War I. But they belong among the pantheon of true British sporting heroes. All were--quite literally--at the top of their game; all made the ultimate sacrifice in "the greatest game of all"--war. For Team and Country reveals how sport itself was Britain's first and most vital recruiting sergeant in the fight against Germany, and tells the remarkable and inspiring stories of the sportsmen whose prowess on the field was matched only by their bravery in the King's uniform.--Provided by the publisher Imagine Wayne Rooney, Andy Murray and Mo Farah exchanging the glamour of their careers for the brutality and bloodshed of war – and quietly giving their lives for their country. Today the news would be dominated by the sacrifice of Britain's most famous sporting icons. A century ago the brightest sporting stars of their generation did just that. Thousands of them rallied to their country's colours; many never returned from the mechanised carnage of the Great War, making the ultimate sacrifice in the hardest game of all. In this original and highly accessible book, Tim Tate reveals how sport itself was Britain's first and most vital recruiting sergeant in the fight against Germany and how sportsmen applied their unique talents on the battlefield, but also how a shared sporting spirit offered humane common ground amidst the horror of combat. Above all, For Team and Country tells the remarkable and inspiring stories of the sportsmen whose prowess on the... Intro -- Title Page -- Epigraph -- Map -- Contents -- Preface: THE WESTERN FRONT, -- INTRODUCTION -- One: WARMING UP -- Two: PLAY UP! AND PLAY THE GAME! -- Three: THE GAME IS AFOOT -- Four: THE GREATER GAME -- Five: SPORTING COLOURS -- Six: A GAME OF GAMES -- Seven: MAGNIFICENT MEN -- Eight: INTO THE SCRUM -- Nine: THE PLAYING WILL TELL -- Ten: GOOD SHOT! -- Eleven: LIONS AND DONKEYS -- Twelve: PLAYING IN THE RESERVES -- Thirteen: WHEN THE WHISTLE BLEW -- Postscript and Dedication -- Bibliography -- Copyright "Tim Tate reveals how sport itself was Britain's first and most vital recruiting sergeant in the fight against Germany and how sportsmen applied their unique talents on the battlefield, but also how a shared sporting spirit offered humane common ground amidst the horror of combat."--Jacket.