Back in Blighty: The British at Home in World War One

(Paperback)

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A powerful and moving portrait of a nation under stress, Back in Blighty examines what life was like back at home while WWI was being fought in the trenches. World War One had a devastating, cataclysmic impact on the world and the British people. As its reverberations were so long-lasting and significant, it is easy to assume that the social consequences were as profound. In this highly readable and moving survey of life back at home during the First World War, Gerard DeGroot challenges this assumption, finding pre-war social structures were surprisingly resilient. Despite economic and technological changes, the British peoplemanaged to cling onto their usual ways of life as much as possible in this new world. Back in Blighty has been fully revised to take into account new scholarship and historical perspectives, and is full of fascinating glimpses into everyday life during the war. The lives of ordinary people are illuminated and given historical significance in this powerful portrait of the British people and their culture.

Reviews

Well worth reading * The Times *
An important contribution * English Historical Review *
A model of what this genre should be like * Albion *

Author Bio

Born in California, Gerard DeGroot is Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews. He has written many books on various aspects of twentieth-century history, most recently The Seventies Unplugged. He regularly contributes to national newspapers both in Britain and in the USA.