Book Review: The Home Front

Author: David Bilton

Reviewed by: Duncan Evans

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This is actually the fourth instalment in David Bilton’s Home Front series which, itself, comes under the umbrella of The Great War Illustrated. As such, it concerns 1917 while the battles at Arras and Passchendaele were happening over the Channel. There’s a timeline of pertinent events, though this is at the end for some reason. After the introduction and long opening chapter, it’s picture and caption format all the way. The chapters cover recruiting and departure, home defence, raids and U-boats, propaganda, refugees and occupation, casualties and captivity, women at war in the factories and on the land, wartime life and finally, Christmas. It’s not all mundane, every day life though, there are plenty of images of tanks, planes, downed zeppelins and the like. What is apparent is that the social changes that were evident at the end of WWII actually had their roots in WWI and without both wars the following decades would have been considerably different. It’s a fascinating book and series in particular, just a pity then that the photographic reproduction and paper doesn’t do the subject sufficient justice. 

Purchase your copy directly from Pen & Sword here
154 pages • Softback • £14.99

As reviewed in The Armourer June 2018

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