The history of a First World War battalion belongs to the men who
served in it, the networks of families, neighbours and friends who supported
them, and the descendants who remember them. The 11th Battalion Durham Light
Infantry was originally raised from volunteers in 1914, but came to include
officers and men from all parts of Great Britain
and the Empire. As a Pioneer battalion they primarily provided skilled labour
for the 20th Division; however, the battalion also served as infantry during
critical events. Letters from Robert Bennett, a former miner, provide an
intimate insight into the everyday concerns
Martin Bashforth’s book breaks new ground in research, using family
histories and individual service records to provide details of how men died, how
families coped with their loss, and how survivors made the transition to
civilian life. In addition, the way in which memory of the First World War was
originally shaped by official patterns of remembrance is compared with how, in
the modern world, there has developed a greater sense of war in its individual,
personal and human impact.
