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Kitchener's Lost Boys: From the Playing Fields to the Killing Fields
Kitchener's Lost Boys: From the Playing Fields to the Killing Fields
Kitchener's Lost Boys: From the Playing Fields to the Killing Fields
Ebook253 pages4 hours

Kitchener's Lost Boys: From the Playing Fields to the Killing Fields

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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As many as 250,000 underage boys found themselves fighting in World War I, and over half would never return home. This is their story, delving into the complex history of Britain's youngest Great War recruits. Despite the rule of being 18 years old to enlist and 19 to serve overseas many young boys were illegally conscripted. This history discusses the political reasons for underage conscripts, focuses on the recruitment crisis of 1914, and explores both why boys joined, and what their experiences were.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateNov 8, 2011
ISBN9780752475769
Kitchener's Lost Boys: From the Playing Fields to the Killing Fields
Author

John Oakes

John Oakes is publisher of The Evergreen Review. He is editor-at-large for OR Books, which he cofounded in 2009. Oakes has written for a variety of publications, among them The Oxford Handbook of Publishing, Publishers Weekly, the Review of Contemporary Fiction, Associated Press, and The Journal of Electronic Publishing. Oakes is a cum laude graduate of Princeton University, where he earned the English Department undergraduate thesis prize for an essay on Samuel Beckett. He was born and raised in New York City, where he lives, and is the father of three adult children. While working on The Fast, he was awarded residencies at Yaddo (New York) and Jentel (Wyoming). The Fast is his first book.

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Interesting book covering how and why the British forces in WWI had so many 'boy soldiers'. These are defined to be soldiers, volunteers, who were underaged. Even though there was an official age limit on volunteering for the army, this regulation was blatantly overlooked. There were numerous reasons for this violation: manpower needs, economic reasons, social pressure,public school traditions, and general patriotism. Thils book delves into each of these and more. I found it a worthwhile read.The reason I gave it only 3 1/2 stars is that on occasion the author goes in tangents which are not really related to the topic. Also, I question some of the assertions he makes regarding the war in general. However, these do not seriously detract from the work. It remains in my opinoin a worthwhile study. Recommended for those with an interest in the Great War, particularly with a view to the British forces.One question came to mind......Germany also tended to conscript 'boy soldiers', particularly toward the end of the war. I would be interested in hearing about any books on that subject........

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Kitchener's Lost Boys - John Oakes

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