Teachers at the Front, 1914–1919 by Dr Barry Blades

 Two of my Australian great-uncles fought in The Great War so I am always interested in reading good books about it. This one was not disappointing. Dr Blades has written an extensively researched and interesting book about the young men from the UK and those from the Commonwealth who became teachers and fought in the war. He looks at this by writing about individuals who fought, some from German backgrounds, surprisingly. He describes the education of these men and their teaching careers, some of them quite stellar. I enjoyed reading about the education system in those days, especially because he writes about the 'Normal' schools in Canada and Australia. My grandmother went to a 'Normal' school so it was good to find out more about them.

I found the writing a bit dry and factual, except when Dr Blades described the battles vividly. This was more exciting, although extremely harrowing and sad. This is a must-read for anyone interested in World War One or the teaching profession in the early 20th century.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

EDITION	Hardcover
ISBN	9781473848856
PRICE	£19.99 (GBP)