Coward's War

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Coward's War

An 'Old Contemptible's' View of the Great War

Category:	History
Author:	Tim Machin (ed.)
Publisher:	Matador
Price:	£8.99
ISBN:	9781905886135
Pages:	120
Reviewed in issue:	5

Coward’s War presents the diaries of George Coward, a British soldier during the First World War. The book is a perfect read for anyone interested in this era. Editor Tim Machin has done a great job in presenting the diary extracts in an easy-to-read format. The endnotes are particularly useful in aiding the reader’s understanding of the theatre of war as a whole.

George Coward took part in some of the biggest battles of the war, and the authenticity of his writing is such that the reader will feel like he or she is just over the diarist’s shoulder as he ascends the slopes to battle. Shells and stray bullets become second nature to the writer as he finds himself becoming accustomed to life in the trenches.

His writing provides an engaging perspective of a soldier’s life during the war years. The anecdotes are full of warmth and humour. George Coward is a ‘larger than life’ character, and his personality brings life to the diary extracts. Accounts of the author’s never-ending search for decent food and a wash and shave (he’s shelled by the Germans while taking a makeshift shower) help to lighten the grim war horrors encountered on other pages.

My only complaint is with the value of the illustrations used. Sometimes the photographs are difficult to make out, and the quality of the maps varies. However, this minor criticism is not enough to detract from the excellence of the book.

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