January 21, 2007

Book 5: With a Machine Gun to Cambrai

With a Machine Gun to Cambrai
George Coppard

Though I read a photocopy of this book, it is a book in its entirety and I believe it counts. The text itself is an account of a British enlisted man's experiences during World War I. What I found most interesting is that it comes so late after the war (the writer is probably about seventy years old and fifty years past the experience) and yet is without a general agenda. The only traces of such are in Coppard's occasional descriptions of officers' treatment and his words about veterans' treatment after the affair.

The work itself is very upfront and punctual. Coppard seems to simply describe things as they are, and the most startling thing about the narrative is probably its lack of overt emotion. Coppard describes the passing of friends with a wave of the hand, probably due to years of separation but still a considerable shock in the wake of highly emotional memoirs. Coppard's war is, however, very accessible and a good picture of what life was like for the ordinary Tommy in the trenches. Coppard has his brief glimpses of the higher lifestyle when he serves as an officer's assistant but always remains true to his proletarian roots. I highly appreciated Coppard's little nods to officers' false superiority, seeing an honest viewpoint from the bottom regarding this strange war in which the higher classes rarely suffered.

Coppard has written an enlightening account of the war experience that is valuable as an insight into social norms of the period as well as to life in the trenches. Experience and distance free Coppard from pursuing a political track and keeps his account accessible and feeling honest. This book is worth seeking out as a simple and short account of trench warfare during World War I.

Grade: A

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