The Old Front Line

The Old Front Line is a non-fiction book written by John Masefield about his experiences as a British soldier during World War I. The book is a vivid and detailed account of life in the trenches on the Western Front, where Masefield served as a volunteer ambulance driver. He describes the horrors of trench warfare, the constant danger and the physical and mental toll it took on the soldiers.Masefield also provides insight into the everyday life of the soldiers, including their food, clothing, and leisure activities. He describes the camaraderie that developed among the soldiers and the bonds that formed between them in the face of adversity.The book is notable for its lyrical prose and vivid descriptions of the landscape and the soldiers' experiences. Masefield's writing is both poetic and honest, capturing the horror and the beauty of the war in equal measure.Overall, The Old Front Line is a powerful and moving account of one man's experience of World War I, and a testament to the bravery and sacrifice of the soldiers who fought and died on the Western Front.1917. Poet, novelist, dramatist and journalist, Masefield's literary career was a varied one. He went to sea as a youth and his first volumes of poems earned him the title of Poet of the Sea. He was a prolific writer, publishing poetry and novels as well as taking on editorial tasks. In 1930 he became Poet Laureate, a post he retained until his death 37 years later. The book begins: This description of the old front line, as it was when the Battle of the Somme began, may some day be of use. All wars end; even this war will some day end, and the ruins will be rebuilt and the field full of death will grow food, and all this frontier of trouble will be forgotten. When the trenches are filled in, and the plough has gone over them, the ground will not long keep the look of war. One summer with its flowers will cover most of the ruin that man can make, and then these places, from which the driving back of the enemy began, will be hard indeed to trace, even with maps. It is said that even now in some places the wire has been removed, the explosive salved, the trenches filled, and the ground ploughed with tractors. In a few years' time, when this war is a romance in memory, the soldier looking for his battlefield will find his marks gone. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.