In 1914 Torquay was the crown jewel of the English Riviera, long the haunt of the rich and famous but this status was not to last. The Great War of 1914-1918 brought a shuddering end to this golden period in amongst the blood and mud of the Western Front as hundreds of Torquinians gave their lives in the fight against the Kaiser. This book documents the town’s experience, both militarily and socially through the extensive use of previously unpublished letters from those who served, by following the career of General Sir Herbert Plumer, commander of the British Second Army and native Torquinian and by featuring a detailed analysis of the home front throughout the war. In doing so it challenges many of the war’s myths including the idea of war enthusiasm in 1914, widespread opposition to the war and the old myth of lions led by donkeys. In doing so it reveals the extent to which even a small town such as Torquay contributed to the war effort and how much the war permanently changed Torquay.
TORQUAY IN THE GREAT WAR
£2.00
Introducing Your Towns and Cities in the Great War, describing the impact of the First World War on local communities in the UK.
The series records, through words and photographs, how each year of the war brought a change in the spirit of the populace as the huge battles taking place in Belgium, France, Gallipoli and elsewhere, took their toll on the menfolk.
Knowledgeable authors document the stories of how these cities and towns were affected by the conflict by researching the local newspapers of the day; along with letters, diaries, photograph albums, parish magazines, trade journals and contemporary printed pamphlets etc, located in the local library archives.
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