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'"It's the end of the 1916 winter and the conditions are almost unbelievable. We live in a world of Somme mud. We sleep in it, work in it, fight in it, wade in it and many of us die in it. We see it, feel it, eat it and curse it, but we can't escape it, not even by dying."
'Private Edward Lynch was just 18 when he enlisted in the army. When he returned to Australia almost three years later, he wrote Somme Mud, a vivid account of the horrific realities of trench warfare from an ordinary infantryman's point of view: the traumatised soldiers and ravaged landscapes, the curious mixture of hatred, empathy and admiration for the equally naive enemy soldiers, the disillusionment and the camaraderie.
'Lynch's candour and down-to-earth wit make Somme Mud engaging for any reader, while archival photographs, a full glossary and editor Will Davies' explanatory chapter introductions make this edition an illuminating text for students. As well as a memoir of one man's experience of war, Somme Mud is an evocative record of the language and attitudes of early twentieth century Australia.' (From the publisher's website, 2010 ed.)
Notes
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Private Edward Lynch, an Australian infantryman, typed up his account of his experiences in France following the war. In 2002, Lynch's grandson lent the manuscript to Will Davies who edited it for publishing.
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Dedication: This narrative is dedicated to the sons of the diggers of the First A.I.F. in the hope that they will strive to recapture and perpetuate the digger spirit of the older A.I.F.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Large print.
Works about this Work
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Untitled
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Fiction Focus : New Titles for Teenagers , vol. 24 no. 3 2010; (p. 60-61)
— Review of Somme Mud : The War Experiences of an Infrantryman in France, 1916-1919 2006 single work autobiography -
[Review Essay] Somme Mud : The War Experiences of an Infrantryman in France, 1916-1919
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Viewpoint : On Books for Young Adults , Winter vol. 18 no. 2 2010; (p. 31-32)
— Review of Somme Mud : The War Experiences of an Infrantryman in France, 1916-1919 2006 single work autobiography -
Untitled
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , April vol. 89 no. 7 2010; (p. 45)
— Review of Somme Mud : The War Experiences of an Infrantryman in France, 1916-1919 2006 single work autobiography -
Lingering in the Air
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 320 2010; (p. 60-61)
— Review of Somme Mud : The War Experiences of an Infrantryman in France, 1916-1919 2006 single work autobiography -
Untitled
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , February vol. 54 no. 1 2010; (p. 5)
— Review of Somme Mud : The War Experiences of an Infrantryman in France, 1916-1919 2006 single work autobiography
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Remembering the Experiences of Australians at War
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 5 August 2006; (p. 16-17)
— Review of Somme Mud : The War Experiences of an Infrantryman in France, 1916-1919 2006 single work autobiography -
Surviving the Dirtiest Kind of Hell
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 12-13 August 2006; (p. 30-31)
— Review of Somme Mud : The War Experiences of an Infrantryman in France, 1916-1919 2006 single work autobiography -
Non-Fiction
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 12 August 2006; (p. 24)
— Review of Somme Mud : The War Experiences of an Infrantryman in France, 1916-1919 2006 single work autobiography ; Overland no. 183 Winter 2006 periodical issue -
Dirty Deeds
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 19-20 August 2006; (p. 15)
— Review of Somme Mud : The War Experiences of an Infrantryman in France, 1916-1919 2006 single work autobiography -
Diamonds in the Mud
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , October vol. 1 no. 2 2006; (p. 19)
— Review of Somme Mud : The War Experiences of an Infrantryman in France, 1916-1919 2006 single work autobiography ; Jacka VC : Australian Hero 2006 single work biography
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cFrance,cWestern Europe, Europe,
- 1916-1919