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Saints in the Great War

REVIEWS AND TESTIMONIALS

Review by Ian Carnaby in SAINTS MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

One day, maybe a year or two from now, club historians David Bull and Gary Chalk will pick up a copy of SAINTS in the GREAT WAR and marvel at their achievement.

To call it a reference book would be to miss its unfailing warmth, its love of football in general and the Saints in particular. Nor is it merely a photographic record of a terrible time in world history, though it must be said the rich variety of pictures perfectly complements the text.....

This is a book about people - the first-teamers, reserves and 'guest' players - associated with Southampton during and after this bloodiest of confrontations. Not all of them made it home, of course, and Bull pays handsome tribute to the fallen here...

A magnificent book.

It has been a while now since the last book from Hagiology Publishing hit the shelves, but it's been worth the wait, with the latest effort being just as interesting from the historical perspective as it is from the footballing side of things. The great thing about the Hagiology publications is that they cater for the everyday Southampton supporter as well as those who like to delve into the club's history a little deeper; add to that the extensive research that goes into every publication, then you know that when you buy one, you get your money's worth.

The latest to come from the guys is SAINTS in the GREAT WAR by David Bull and Gary Chalk. It brings to life the harsh reality of those times and what happened to those men whose footballing careers - and in 32 cases their lives - were cut short. There are some great pictures, not only footballing ones, but all the way from Southampton, a major port in the conflict, to the distant battlefields, hospitals and, sadly, graves. It will be of much interest even to those who might dislike football yet who like to read of what the Great War was really like for 200-odd Southampton footballers.

Nick Illingsworth, The Ugly Inside

I was probably one of the first to purchase a copy of SAINTS in the GREAT WAR - for two reasons: Hagiology books are always a good read, so I just had to add this one to my Hagiology library; and because my dad fought in the Great War. Posted to the Western Front in 1914, he was wounded at Ypres, where several of the 200-odd Saints fought, and was sent home to Netley Hospital, where so many Southampton footballers were patients, medics or orderlies. It was where he met my mum. He never fully recovered from his injuries but lived until he was 92. I became the youngest of five children in 1930.

Club President Terry Paine reveals in his foreword how the book fills gaps in his knowledge of the Saints' history. In its easy-to-read style, it does that for me, too - and much, much more. Each of its 45 chapters is a story in itself, so you can put it down and then pick it up later to read a new story. The abundance of fabulous photo is another plus. Eight years of meticulous research have gone into this book. At £24 a copy, it's a bargain.

Herbie Taylor, SaintsList

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Testimonials by Great War authors

Saints fans who opted to "subscribe" to the book in advance or who otherwise bought a copy, sight unseen, ahead of its publication, were taking a risk on its contents. Here are some reactions from fans pleased to have taken that risk:

Martin Smith, Brighton

It made me angry that I was never taught this history at school. Why weren't we told about the British soldier in India and the Indian soldiers fighting in France or recuperating in Brockenhurst? The book's fantastic chapter on India has belatedly educated me.

Leon Burton, Stadium Tour Guide

Hagiology publications have become an essential part of my life. As a Tour Guide for the club, I depend upon my collection of them for so much valuable information about our history. I still turn their pages on a regular basis, especially IN THAT NUMBER. Sadly, after so much use over the years, my copy is falling apart. SAINTS in the GREAT WAR is a comprehensive addition to my collection, with so many fresh anecdotes to add to my tour talks - not least the stories highlighted in the book's introductory summary, of two Saints who fell on the Somme: one serving with the 'Pompey Pals' Battalion; the other facing Private Adolf Hitler's Bavarian Regiment.

Rob Bryan, Freshwater, Isle of Wight

Alan Horton, Cowbridge, South Glamorgan

This book is a wonderful addition to my Hagiology library and I would highly recommend Saints fans of all ages to order a copy, so as to understand how far our club has come from a time when players and fans alike gave their lives on the battlefield, so that we can enjoy our football club today, amid its up and downs on the football field.

Valmai Holt, joint-author of the leading BATTLEFIELDS guides, writes:

I find the details in SAINTS in the GREAT WAR quite remarkable. Knowing so well the battlefield areas, such as Mons, Ypres, the Somme and Gallipoli - which my husband Tonie and I had so often visited for our Battlefield Tours and our Guidebooks - it was most interesting to read about them as visited by the Saints.

The illustrations of these brave lads, in their football gear and also in their battlefields uniforms, are very moving. The photographs of the areas in which they fought, their graves and some memorials and the maps of where they fought add so much to this remarkable book.

Andrew Riddoch, joint-author of WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS, the definitive story of the Footballers' Battalion, writes:

Paul Joannou, author of NEWCASTLE UNITED AND THE GREAT WAR, writes:

An excellent detailed text. Well done. Absolutely superb.

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