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Letters from the Trenches
- Narrated by: Geoff Annis
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
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Letters from the Trenches
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Summary
Harry Lamin was born in Derbyshire in 1877 and left school at 13 to work in the lace industry. But by December 1916 he had been conscripted into the 9th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment, and sent to war. Harry's letters home to his family describe the conflict with a poignant immediacy, even 90+ years on, detailing everything from the action in battle to the often amusing incidents of life amongst his comrades.
Throughout the letters, Harry's tone is unwaveringly stoical, uncomplaining and good-humoured. "Letters from the Trenches" is a fitting tribute to the unsung heroes of the Great War who fought and endured and returned home, and the one in six who did not. The letters describe the war through the eyes of those who really lived it, bringing the horrors and triumphs to life for the 21st-century listener.
Edited by Harry's grandson, Bill, Letters from the Trenches tells the moving story of a brave, selfless, and honourable man who endured everything that the war could throw at him, and still came up smiling.More from the same
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What listeners say about Letters from the Trenches
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jose Cabrol
- 20-01-22
Great Listening
Well read and put together, remember this was just an ordinary guy, don't know how this could have any negative comments
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Catherine
- 28-02-11
A real account of a real person
This is an account of one man's experiences during the extraordinary events of the World War 1 trenches. Within minutes of starting to listen, you will feel that you know the subject, Harry.
This is NOT a history book. This is an engaging personal account of a Private soldier.
Geoff Annis has pitched his reading perfectly. He effortlessly adopts the correct east midlands accent when reading Harry's letters, returning to a simple South Yorkshire style for the narration - absolutely perfect.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Charly
- 23-08-10
Dissapointing
Whilst the write up was promising - I was a little dissapointed by this. Not by the content in particular - just the narrator. When listening to something, it is important to have a voice that is engaging. I found the narrator to drone a little and there were parts of this reading that were incredibly repetative. I am aware that it is an 'unabridged' version- but when reading the book - you would not nessasarily read the address of each letter each time? This became very tiresome very quickly.The book reads like a 7hr version of 'Who Do You Think You Are'.
Aside form that - the story of Harry Lamin is a charming one,and the journey that the author, his Grandson, has made in his quest is obviously a personal one.
If you can ignore the addresses being read out at every turn - then it is an average listen.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- martin
- 22-11-13
Letters from The Trenches
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
Extremely long winded and doesnt translate to an audio book. I was really disappointed. The narration is annoying as previously pointed by other reviewers. The letters themselves are fairly nondescript and repetitious, mainly concentrating on menial matters such as the weather and pay. I feel as the story is written by the grandson of the letter writer, it is more of a personal homage by Grandson to Grandfather. The author makes a few interesting technical points such as that General Douglas Haig commander in chief of the British Forces never actually visited the troops once during this tenure on the front line and was known as the eternal optimist as a whole generation of young innocent men were slain. This becomes fairly evident from the description of the letters, however, as was the norm of the day the front line private Harry Laplin never questions the futility of the tactics of this superiors. I would absolutely recommend " The Reluctant Tommy " by Ronald Skirth. Very moving and fair more detailed.
What was most disappointing about Bill Lamin’s story?
Tedious and the letters in questions are extremely repetitive never actually giving much detail.
Any additional comments?
More of an educational text to University students working on a thesis.
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1 person found this helpful