Over the top by Arthur Guy Empey
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| Arthur Guy Empey |
Arthur Guy Empey was an American soldier, author, actor, and filmmaker. He served with the British Army during World War I, and upon his return wrote a popular autobiographical book, Over the Top, which sold over a quarter-million copies
From Introduction:
During sixteen years of "roughing it, " knocking around the world, I have rubbed against the high and low and have had ample opportunity of studying, at close range, many different peoples, their ideals, political and otherwise, their hopes and principles.
Through this elbow-rubbing, and not from reading, I have become convinced of the nobility, truth, and justice of the Allies' cause, and know their fight to be our fight because it espouses the principles of the United States of America, democracy, justice, and liberty. To the average American who has not lived and fought with him, the Englishman appears to be distant, reserved, a slow thinker, and lacking in humour, but from my association with the man who inhabits the British Isles, I find that this opinion is unjust.
To me, Tommy Atkins has proved himself to be the best of mates, a pal, and bubbling over with a fine sense of humour, a man with a just cause who is willing to sacrifice everything but honour in the advancement of the same.
It is my fondest hope that Uncle Sam and John Bull, arms locked, as mates, good and true, each knowing and appreciating the worth of the other, will wend their way through the years to come, happy and contented in each other's company. So if this poor attempt of mine will, in any way, help to bring Tommy Atkins closer to the doorstep of Uncle Sam, my ambition will have been realized. Perhaps to some of my readers, it will appear that I have written of a great and just cause in a somewhat flippant manner, but I assure them such was not my intention.
I have tried to tell my experiences in the language of Tommy sitting on the fire step of a front-line trench on the Western Front just as he would tell his mate next him what was happening at a different part of the line.
Some contents:
I. FROM MUFTI TO KHAKI . . i
II. BLIGHTY TO REST BILLETS . . 12
III. I Go TO CHURCH .... 24
IV. "INTO THE TRENCH " ... 27
V. MUD, RATS, AND SHELLS . . 33
VI. "BACK OF THE LINE" ... 39
VII. RATIONS 46
VIII. THE LITTLE WOODEN CROSS . . 54
IX. SUICIDE ANNEX .... 60
X. "THE DAY'S WORK" ... 63
XL OVER THE TOP .... 69
XII. BOMBING 78
XIII. MY FIRST OFFICIAL BATH . . 87
XIV. PICKS AND SHOVELS ... 92
XV. LISTENING POST . . . .103
XVI. BATTERY D 238 . . . . 108
XVII. OUT IN FRONT . . . .131
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