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This autobiography is unusual in two respects. First of all it is one of only a handful of such books written by the conscript soldiers who served in the ranks of the Guards division during the First World War (most books to emerge from the Guards were written by officers). Second, it is one of a comparatively rare number of autobiographies that focus on the last part of the war, including the German spring offensive of 1918 and the final victorious Allied campaigns that ended the war, as well as post-war demobilisation and the various victory parades that took place in London.
Like many young men across Europe Noakes attempted to volunteer early in the war, but childhood ill health meant that his initial applications were rejected. Somewhat ironically he was then conscripted in 1917 (although officially counted as a volunteer because of his earlier efforts). Despite the stalemate of the war he had retained his early enthusiasm, and one of the interesting features of this book is the way in which his attitude to the war altered over time - his early experiences at the front soon turned enthusiasm into cynicism, before the Germans successes in March 1918 restored some of his original belief in the rightness of the Allied cause.
Much of the text is taken up with an account of the normal day-to-day life of the front line soldier in the long periods between major battles - both in and out of the front line. As a result the events of March 1918 and of the final Allied offensive stand out much more than they might otherwise do, coming as a sudden and stark break with Noakes's almost routine life up to that point. This is a valuable addition to the sizable body of Great War memoirs, filling something of a gap.
Chapters
1 - Training
2 - In the Trenches
3 - The 'March Do'
4 - Behind the Line
5 - With the 3rd Battalion
6 - The 'Big Push'
7 - Victory
8 - After the Armistice
9 - The Last Phase
Author: F. E. Noakes
Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 240
Publisher: Frontline
Year: 2010 edition of 1952 original