Letter to Jack 17th October 2008 + News of a Book Deal.

Oct 17/1918

9th York & Lancs
C Company
L.G.S.
12 Platoon I.E.F.

Dear Jack
I have received your paper and a letter. I am pleased to hear that you are going on alright. We have had some big marches since I came back from leave, it as just about knocked me out, and I don’t think we have finished yet, we are still in Ital but on a different front, not far from V. we have never been here before. I have not been in the line yet since I got back, they were just coming out of the trenches when I returned. Last night we stayed a night in a city about as big as Nottingham first time we have been in such a big place. There was plenty of Americans - some had just come out of the line which was only about 7 kilos so you see it is very quite just now. I expect there will be something coming off before long. What do you think of the war do you think it will finish this next summer. Things are dearer up this end the Italians tells us the farer east we get the dearer things are. Write as often as you can and send a paper or two, I hope I see you all again before it is time for another leave.

With best love to you both

from Harry
(I am sending a letter for Ethel)

It's quite clear that Harry has absolutely no idea how long this war will last. His account of marching and being out of the line, ties in with the account in the War Diary. I would think that "V" refers to Venice. The city would be Thiene. Refer to the War Diary, as the marching gets tougher on the next day. BL

Book Deal

I am delighted that Michael O'Mara Books, the London-based publisher, will be publishing a book based on Harry's blog. The contracts were signed this week.

The book, which is provisionally entitled "Letters From the Trenches: A Soldier of the Great War", is set to be published in hardback in April 2009. The aim is to take the material from the various ‘Harry’ blogs (the Battalion War Diary, the maps, photos and other pictures, the letters themselves) and to combine them, with any other relevant material, into a book which will help the reader to understand and appreciate the extraordinary experiences of this ordinary man.

The work is well under way. I hope to be able to deliver the first complete version to the publisher’s editorial and design teams in December.

There is still a great deal of research to do to complete the task. However, I am very keen not to lose the simplicity and directness that seem to have worked so well in the blog. I shall be providing an introduction and commentary to set the letters in context. I can only hope that my efforts at a book will be as successful as Harry’s blog has proved to be.