Unknown Soldiers : The Story of the Missing of the First World War

The First World War was a conflict of unprecedented ferocity. After the last shot was fired and the troops marched home, approximately three million soldiers remained unaccounted for. An unassuming English chaplain first proposed a symbolic burial in memory of all the missing dead; subsequently the idea was picked up by almost every combatant country. Acclaimed author Neil Hanson focuses on the lives of three soldiers — an Englishman, a German, and an American — using their diaries and letters to offer an unflinching yet compassionate account of the front lines. He describes how each man endured nearly unbearable conditions, skillfully showing how the Western world arrived at the now time-honored way of mourning and paying tribute to all those who die in war. Reviews “An unforgettable picture of life in the hottest sectors of the Western Front.” —The New York Times As good as anything I have read about World War I – hard to stomach but impossible to forget.” —Paul Laskin, The Seattle Times“ Stunning. . . . Unknown Soldiers tells you vividly how it felt when the world, then believed to be on a firm foundation, began to stagger and crash.” —The Los Angeles Times“ Hanson has rescued a rich store of letters from the attics of three nations, using them to remind readers both of the horrors of war and the obligations of memory.” —The Christian Science Monitor About the Author Neil Hanson is the author of The Confident Hope of a Miracle, The Custom of the Sea, and The Great Fire of London. He lives in the Yorkshire Dales in England. Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (May 8, 2007) The First World War was a conflict of unprecedented ferocity that unleashed such demons as mechanized warfare and mass death on the twentieth century. After the last shot was fired and the troops marched home, approximately three million soldiers remained unaccounted for. Some bodies were found, but they bore no trace of identification; many more had simply vanished in battlefields where as many as a hundred shells had fallen on every square yard. Author Hanson animates and brings to life the combatants who perished without a trace by focusing on three soldiers--an American, an Englishman, and a German--and narrating their war experiences through their diaries and letters. He describes how each man endured the nearly unbearable conditions in the trenches and in the air and relates what is known about their deaths.--From publisher description The First World War Was A Conflict Of Unprecedented Ferocity. After The Last Shot Was Fired And The Troops Marched Home, Approximately Three Million Soldiers Remained Unaccounted For. An Unassuming English Chaplain First Proposed A Symbolic Burial In Memory Of All The Missing Dead; Subsequently The Idea Was Picked Up By Almost Every Combatant Country. Acclaimed Author Neil Hanson Focuses On The Lives Of Three Soldiers — An Englishman, A German, And An American — Using Their Diaries And Letters To Offer An Unflinching Yet Compassionate Account Of The Front Lines. He Describes How Each Man Endured Nearly Unbearable Conditions, Skillfully Showing How The Western World Arrived At The Now Time-honored Way Of Mourning And Paying Tribute To All Those Who Die In War. From The Trade Paperback Edition.