Dear Old Blighty
E. S. Turner
- 'So
- the
- recruiters,
- rolling
- up
- their
- sleeves,
- varied
- the
- appeal
- to
- pride,
- honour,
- manliness
- and
- vengeance
- with
- warnings
- to
- eschew
- shame,
- disgrace,
- betrayal,
- sloth
- and
- cowardice.
- From
- a
- poster
- showing
- the
- ruins
- of
- Belgium
- a
- woman
- asked,
- 'Will
- you
- go
- or
- must
- I?''
First
- published
- in
- 1980,
- Dear
- Old
- Blighty
- is
- E.S.
- Turner's
- superb
- account
- of
- life
- 'on
- the
- home
- front'
- in
- Britain
- during
- the
- Great
- War
- of
- 1914-1918:
- a
- time
- of
- conscription,
- propaganda,
- 'spy
- fever',
- industrial
- unrest
- in
- the
- arms
- factories,
- and
- grieving
- families
- turning
- to
- spiritualism.
- When
- even
- the
- blind
- were
- being
- recruited
- to
- serve
- as
- listening
- sentries
- for
- approaching
- Zeppelins,
- all
- were
- expected
- to
- contribute
- to
- the
- war
- effort;
- and,
- as
- Turner
- shows
- us,
- the
- means
- of
- exhortation
- (and
- the
- penalties
- for
- non-compliance)
- were
- many.
'No
- matter
- where
- you
- open
- a
- page,
- you
- learn
- something
- you
- feel
- you
- should
- have
- known.'
- Miles
- Kington, Independent
pro-mbooks3 : libris
