013 - Chapters 24 and 25

In 1915, Oscar Hornung, the son of renowned author E W Hornung, was tragically killed at Ypres after just a year of service in Flanders, at the tender age of 20. Two years later, E W Hornung stepped forward to assist in running a YMCA canteen situated close to the front lines. This poignant book chronicles Hornungs personal experiences in Northern France, where he began by aiding in a canteen and later established a library for the soldiers. Driven by a desire to be near his sons final resting place, Hornung sought to connect with the brave young men fighting in the war and to enhance their daily lives. He yearned to find meaning amid the chaos, portraying soldiers as heroes, their struggles as just, and their leaders as wise and compassionate. Despite his motivations and occasional blind spots, Hornung expertly wove his narrative with the skill of a seasoned novelist, allowing readers to accompany him as he converses with soldiers, delivers cocoa and biscuits under fire, and ultimately sets up a lending library mere miles from No Man’s Land. Even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a former friend who reported Hornung for his pacifist views, conceded that this work features some of the most vivid depictions of life on the Western Front. (The cover showcases the Western Front as it passed through Arras in 1918, during the time the author would have known it.) (Summary by Clive Catterall)