The author of this short autobiographical description of life in the trenches during World War I is James Norman Hall. He went on to team with Charles B. Nordhoff and write some of the most successful works of historical fiction of the 1930s, including Mutiny on the Bounty, The Hurricane, and Botany Bay. But in this book he describes how he, as an American, managed to volunteer for duty in France and fight with the British Army (so-called "Kitchener's Mob," because it comprised of volunteers during the first year of the war in 1914).

The organization is simple yet enormously effective. It covers Hall's chance enlistment, his training in Britain, his deployment to France, and culminates in the Battle of Loos. For the most part, Hall even manages to keep some of his initial romantic visions of the war intact. Yes, he describes the slaughter at Loos in graphic detail, but always underscores it with the sense of mission and optimism he says British troops maintained.

All the while, Hall makes extensive use of notes he took and captures the speech, slang, and unique accents of Britain's volunteers. In so doing, he gives a flavor to the war that is immediate and honest. At this point, I remembered my own grandfather's journal of his deployment to France during World War I. I was struck with the identical imagery, common complaints, and the sameness of the description of the landscape. I suppose that sealed Hall's authenticity in my mind. This is a much neglected book of enormous importance, as we have just slipped into an age where all the participants in the Great War have died. ( )

Sub-titled: "The Adventures of an American in the British Army", this is a little more than that. It is an intimate view of trench warfare as practised in World War One. It is a well-told set of stories making up a volume describing Hall's observations. It lauds the tenacity of the "British Bull Dog" fighting man. ( )

A fascinating account of "Tommy Atkins" around 1915, including the Battle of Loos. Includes many insightful elements regarding general mindset of the troops (layman's psychology). Particularly useful for Americans researching the British Army, as Hall, being American, has the opportunity to analyze the different mentality of the British social system and how it relates to army life. ( )