A Yankee in the Trenches

An American volunteer with a British battalion recounts his enlistment, motivations, and impressions of service on the Western Front. He describes daily trench routines, raids and patrol work, periods of rest in billets, feeding and marching to salient positions, and his development into a bomber. Accounts of tanks and following them into action, engagements on the Somme, prisoners, and a final assault blend with practical observations. Interwoven are portraits of comradeship among Cockney soldiers, quieter moments behind the lines, suggestions aimed at fellow American volunteers, and a glossary of trench slang and terms.