REVIEWS AND TESTIMONIALS
Book reviews to date
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...
a magnificent book.
Peter Emery in Stand To!, the journal of the Western Front Association:
A far-reaching exploration of how the war touched Southampton's players and of how the club provided opportunities for servicemen from across the country, finding themselves in
The Dell's catchment area, to participate as "guests" in rudimentary war-time competitions. When finding a new angle or perspective on this war is increasingly difficult, this book
cuts through convention to offer something different.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Testimonials from three Saints Fans' Forums:
It's hard to overstate just how impressive SAINTS in the GREAT WAR is, not just as a work on the club's history but as a tribute to those Southampton footballers, their fellow
professionals and comrades, who served the cause, lived their lives, lost their lives, and are here so respectfully remembered. What David Bull, Gary Chalk and their Hagiology
teammates have achieved within these glorious, historical 368 pages breathes life into an era so often reduced to names on memorials and/or a few black-and-white photographs.
With extraordinary research, care and depth, the stories of 200-odd Saints during one of history's darkest chapters have been powerfully brought to light. The footballing context
gives the book its heart, but it's the human stories of courage, sacrifice and community that gives it its soul. From battlefield letters to accounts of recovery in local hospitals,
to shipbuilding at Woolston and even an appearance by Charlie Chaplin, every chapter feels like a personal encounter.
The research is impeccable, the writing accessible and the photography beautifully curated. As a life-long Saints fan, I've taken so much from the revelations of the human side
of our club, here woven seamlessly into its history. But even if you're a student of history more generally or simply someone who appreciates well-told stories, this wonderful book will stay with you.
A truly remarkable and moving achievement.
Tara Doel, Saints Archive
Books from Hagiology Publishing have always catered both for the everyday Saints supporter and for those who like to delve into the club's history a little deeper. SAINTS in the GREAT WAR
is not only true to that tradition but offers plenty even for readers uninterested in football yet curious about what the Great War was like for Southampton's players, cutting short the careers
of so many and, in 32 cases, their lives. There are some great pictures, not only footballing ones but of locations in all directions from Southampton, a major port in the conflict, to the battlefields,
hospitals and, sadly, graves.
Nick Illingsworth, The Ugly Inside
My dad fought in the Great War. Wounded at Ypres, where several of the book's 200-odd Saints fought, he was sent home to Netley Hospital, where so many Southampton footballers were patients, medics or orderlies.
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, the book 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 photos is another plus. Eight years of meticulous research have gone
into this book. At £24, it's a bargain.
Herbie Taylor, SaintsList
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
An appreciation from a dependent 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.
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 of two Saints who fell
on the Somme: one serving with the 'Pompey Pals' Battalion; the other facing Private Adolf Hitler's Bavarian Regiment.
Leon Burton
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
From Saints fans, near and far:
The team that has written the tour de force that is SAINTS in the GREAT WAR deserves the gratitude and respect of Saints fans for all that it must have taken to produce such a magnificent
piece of work. And future supporters who want to discover the history of their club and the sacrifice of past players will now have this interesting, informative and inspiring book for reference. Reading it made me angry
that I was never taught this history at school. Why weren't we told about the British soldiers in India and the Indian soldiers fighting in France and recuperating in Brockenhurst? The fantastic chapter on India has
belatedly educated me.
Martin Smith, Brighton
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 so that we can enjoy our football club today.
Alan Horton, Cowbridge
SAINTS in the GREAT WAR is an impressively detailed tome that should join every other Hagiology offering on the bookshelves of a Saints supporter.
The wealth of detail on individual players, when placed in the context of such an enormous historical event, is jaw-dropping. Here we have humbling yet awe-inspiring individual courage in the context of local history and
the story of our club. What more could you ask for?
Rob Bryan, Freshwater, Isle of Wight
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Testimonials from authors of leading books on the Great War:
Andrew Riddoch, author of WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS, the story of the Footballers' Battalion:
SAINTS in the GREAT WAR is a magnificent achievement. I have enjoyed reading it immensely. The skill with which the details of an individual's service are set out within
the wider context of the war is mightily impressive.
Paul Joannou, author of NEWCASTLE UNITED IN THE GREAT WAR:
An excellent detailed text. Absolutely superb.
Valmai Holt, joint-author of the leading BATTLEFIELDS guides:
I find the details in SAINTS in the GREAT WAR quite remarkable. 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.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Purchase
Saints in the Great War
direct
Upcoming talks on Saints in the Great War
|
