The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins
by James Milne
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About This Book
"The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins" by James Milne is a poignant collection of personal letters from the front lines of war. Private Atkins shares his experiences with the French people, highlighting their hospitality and kindness towards British troops. The book delves into the perspectives of both the French and German civilians, portraying the camaraderie, challenges, and humanity amidst the chaos of battle. Through accounts of bravery, sacrifice, and resilience, the book captures the essence of duty and gallantry in wartime.
Chapters (749)
- The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins
- CONTENTS
- “BLOW! BUGLES, BLOW!”
- THE WAR STORIES OF PRIVATE THOMAS ATKINS I. MARCHING TO WAR
- Keepsakes
- Want Nothing
- “Cheer, Boys, Cheer”
- Couldn’t Understand!
- Those Highlanders
- Her “Soldat”
- Delightfully Hungry
- Dandy Lads
- Flowers and Favours
- Tramp, Tramp, Tramp!
- Pat’s Mishap
- A Comparison
- Church Bells
- Invited Out!
- Triumphant
- Thinking of Home
- II. THINGS BY THE WAY
- Safe!
- Perfectly Happy
- “Du Pain!”
- A Song of a Shirt
- Like Rob Roy
- On and Off
- A Baby Bunting
- Early Piety
- Quiet and Restful
- On the Quiet!
- Sweetness—and Rain!
- Comfortable!
- Sucking Eggs!
- To his Mother
- A Far Journey
- A River of Joy
- III. THE FRIENDLY FRENCH
- “A Sport”
- “Coo Naht”
- So Hospitable!
- The “Entente”
- Praise Indeed
- “A Blooming Nuisance”
- Brave Women
- Only Water Left
- “Good Sports”
- “Give You Anything”
- Bearded like Pards
- “Fag” Making
- The Little Children
- In Hospital
- Well Pleased
- “Bonnie Fighters”
- “No Germany!”
- No Singing Birds
- Quite Royal!
- IV. THE ENEMY GERMAN
- “Mister Bull!”
- Not Suited to It
- Christian
- A Doubting Doctor
- X-Rayed
- Took the “Bully”
- “Roll on, London!”
- Captured Uhlans
- Grave-digging
- A Barber in Lambeth
- Berlin “Nuts”
- “Collies?”
- The Track of the Huns
- Got the Guns
- “Made in Germany”
- “Over the Shoulder”
- No Chocolates
- Kill or Wound?
- A Lucky Escape
- False Bugle-calls
- A Tell-tale Diary
- V. CAMPAIGNING IN GENERAL
- Wanted a Hat!
- A Day in Bed
- Lost!
- Looked After
- “Have You a Light?”
- Don’t Know!
- The Cannon’s Roar
- Hard Lines
- Roughing It!
- A Sing-song
- One Blessing
- Not Worrying
- Scrap Iron
- Not Swept Away Yet
- From the Hip
- A Cupboard Skeleton
- Food for Powder
- Not Good Shots
- Adam without an Eden
- The Enviable “Terriers”
- Pea-shooters
- Had “To Nip”
- “Fairly Well”
- Rained on
- Quagmires and “Mug Racks”
- Cave-dwellers
- Contour Maps
- A Disturbed Dinner
- Petrol Power
- “Crackers!”
- A Near Shave
- “Poor Old Bones!”
- VI. BATTLES IN BEING
- Unexpected
- Turpinite
- Took Off the Roof!
- Lancashire!
- Up Aloft!
- His Own Back
- Sleep Through Anything
- “Lucky, Considering”
- Nothing Wasted
- Those Uhlans
- Stonewalling!
- The Way of It
- Like an Exodus
- A Long, Long Day
- Every House a Fort
- A Gallant Sky Pilot
- The Unexpected
- No Love Lost
- “Up, Guards,” and at ’Em?
- Clearing Them Out
- Steady, Boys, Steady!
- Scared Gun-Horses
- A Cameron Man
- The Cold Steel
- “Is This Death?”
- Spoiled Their Appetite
- “A Jigsaw Puzzle”
- “Erin Go Bragh!”
- A Midnight Move
- A High Ordeal
- VII. WHAT THE SOLDIER SEES
- A Good Night
- A Far View
- Brave Women
- Fatherly
- Proud Indeed!
- Wilted!
- Enjoying Ourselves
- Held Up!
- Not So “Swanky”
- Undaunted
- “Rotten Luck”
- Near Shaves
- Custom!
- Buried and Burnt
- “That Tired Feeling”
- Lucky Fellow!
- So Glad!
- The Gallant Belgians
- In the Dark
- A Bold Battery
- Before the Dawn
- Rescued
- A “Jelly Fish”
- Cold—and Hot!
- “Knocked!”
- In a Château
- “Made Good!”
- A “Terrible Time”
- His True Colours
- A Barricade
- Wounded and Waiting
- VIII. HOW IT FEELS UNDER FIRE
- Inconceivable!
- Gets Used to It
- Gay to Grave
- Encouraged
- Wondering!
- Jubilant
- Mad!
- Know nor Care
- An “Infernal Din”
- Splendid but Awful
- How It Happened
- Joe to Bill
- The Stuffing Wrong
- Guarded!
- A Scamper
- Causes Deafness
- Twenty to One
- Under Difficulties
- Not Troubling
- The Pictures!
- Healing Nicely!
- Dazed, but There
- “A Mad Crew”
- Saving a Battery
- Salt and Cigarettes
- Like an Electric Shock
- Given up Worrying
- Safe as Houses
- Stunned!
- His Fire Baptism!
- Smoke—and Fire!
- “Punched!”
- IX. CORNERS IN THE FIGHT
- Footsore
- Couldn’t Miss
- What Ho!
- Grand Fighting
- Swept Away
- Giving a Hand
- Came Down Dead!
- Fisticuffs
- Not to be Shot
- Promoted Corporal
- Uhlans or Hussars
- Soon be Better
- In Luck!
- Mighty Cool
- Three Times
- A Marvellous Escape
- Warm Work
- “Breath-stoppers”
- Ghostly!
- Blue with Lead
- Don’t Mind!
- Not Much Left
- One More River
- A Revolver Story
- At the Fords
- War—and Peace!
- Hard Going!
- Connaught Rangers
- The Best of It
- Charge of the London Scots
- Beside a Windmill
- Against Big Odds
- “Nesting” Time
- X. HIT AND MISSED
- A “Charmed Life”
- The Seventh Time
- Making a Hole
- A Hero Indeed
- A Changed View
- “Oh, Bill!”
- “Hell on Earth”
- His Kilt Torn
- “Not Me!”
- A Pat on the Ankle
- Doing Well
- Blown Up!
- Disagreeable
- Green Fireworks
- Heavy Fire
- Dead as a Nail
- Stone Dead
- Kicked
- Killed Instantly
- Waited for Them
- A Clover Field
- A Busy Marksman
- Bits of Shrapnel
- In the Eye
- “’Nuf Said”
- Made Comfortable
- Couldn’t Move
- “Flying All Round”
- Got Away
- “Got Me, Too!”
- A Passing Shell
- Stuck to Him
- Anchored!
- Carted to Hospital
- XI. ADVANCE AND RETREAT
- “NO-o-o!”
- A Bold Front
- “Shifting” Them
- Dug It Out
- “Stand Solid!”
- The Dying German
- Disturbed!
- “Annie Laurie”
- “Few! Few!”
- “Hard Neck”
- Thank Goodness!
- The Great Retreat
- Outnumbered
- “The Old British Way”
- Covered with Straw
- Nothing to be Seen
- “A Horrible Trade-mark”
- Blown Sky High
- Rescued!
- A “Sensational Feeling”
- “Silence Those Guns!”
- Playing at Soldiers!
- Kept the Guns
- Taking Risks
- Broke the Line
- A “Hot Shop”
- “Talk About Excitement!”
- Balaclava Style
- A Night Surprise
- No Fight Left
- All Sorts of Sacrifices
- XII. IN THE TRENCHES
- Sniping!
- The Bayonet!
- A Good Sleeper
- Those Apples
- Four Feet Down
- Its Billet
- Taking a German
- Another Rocket
- Too Late!
- Might Shake Hands
- A Football Talk
- Feeling Led
- Walnuts and Guards
- Banging Away
- All’s Fair!
- Unnerving!
- Caps and Helmets
- Spectral
- Buried Alive
- Cut and Thrust
- Robinson Crusoe
- Swarms of Them
- Moving!
- Come On!
- Brave Deeds
- “Shifting Them!”
- Bullets and “Footer”
- Gallant Frenchmen
- Hoist!
- “One Red Burial Blent”
- XIII. GALLANT DEEDS
- A Hand-shake!
- Unhurt!
- What the Irish Did
- “A Regular Devil”
- “Into ’Em, Lads!”
- The Old Royals
- Gallantry
- Brought Him In
- Skedaddled!
- An Air Duel
- Under Heavy Fire
- Never Say Die!
- Onward and Away!
- Hit Four Times
- Sticking to Him
- “Boldly They Rode!”
- “Basted” Him!
- Help the Others!
- Facing Death
- “Scotland for Ever!”
- Succouring the Wounded
- Up the Hill
- Harry Lauder’s Songs
- Didn’t Know Defeat
- Duty and—Death
- “He Saved Others”
- Heroes All
- XIV. TALES OF TRAGEDY
- Invaded!
- Better Dead!
- Of Wife and Child
- Loot!
- The Roll call
- Reading Ruskin
- “All Right!”
- Keepsakes!
- Nellie’s Anxiety
- The Dog It Was!
- The Trail of the Sword
- His Loved Ones
- Vultures
- A Song of Death
- No More Cold Trenches
- A Lady’s Handkerchief
- All Gone
- Fired!
- One Taken!
- A Dash for It
- A Cave Disaster
- An Irish Rifle
- The Worst Part
- XV. ANECDOTES OF HUMOUR
- “Blime!”
- The Proof of It
- Laughter!
- A Great Game
- “Fine Feeds”
- No Tango in Paris
- L.B.W.!
- Irish and Merry
- Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!
- Surrounded Them
- Joking not Apart
- Left the Duck
- Swimming for Them
- Asked for Him
- Mighty Particular
- Swear Words
- Maids of All Work
- Step Outside
- Didn’t Wait!
- Kaiser and Highlander
- “Shove-Ha’penny”
- Comments
- “Mein Gott!”
- “Tickets, Please!”
- No Uhlans Need Apply!
- Cooking Their Dinner
- Business as Usual
- For Neuralgia!
- “The Wearin’ o’ the Green!”
- Not a Yarn
- “Hallo, Old Tin Hat!”
- Orange and Green
- XVI. STORIES OF SACRIFICE
- Poor Minnie!
- His Last Wish
- The Christian Way
- Asked for the Colours
- Not a Murmur
- Saving a Tragedy
- Going Home!
- Like Jackie!
- Lit His “Fag”
- Cheerful in Verse
- Succouring the Enemy
- A Splendid Corporal
- A Yorkshire “Tyke”
- The Other Man!
- A Costly Apple
- No Hesitation
- Glorious Examples
- A Kindly German
- Driven Out!
- Cried Like Babies
- The “Kiddies”
- Finely Done
- What McCabe Did
- Taking the Salute
- A Brave Sergeant
- Officer and Gentleman
- The Spirit of Old
- “Hallelujah!”
- “A Rare Good One”
- XVII. THE MAN AMID WAR
- “All’s Well”
- The Beginning
- Holed!
- Jammy!
- Next for Shaving
- A Strange Meeting
- “All We Want”
- Dare-Devils
- An Evil Eye!
- Signed the Pledge!
- The Balm of Baccy
- His Spare Time
- Wet, But Exciting
- “Nearer, my God, to Thee”
- Happy all the Day
- “Supreme Beings”
- “Who Goes There?”
- “Mum’s the Word”
- The Impossible Order
- The Valiant Spirit
- Spared!
- Jolly Boys are We!
- The “Born Grousers”
- Well Tended
- “Archibald” a Drawback
- “Here Comes the Last”
- Saved by a Curé
- After the Battle
- XVIII. THE COMMON TASK
- Busy!
- “Really Good”
- A Great Time!
- In Mourning
- Consolations
- All Smiles!
- The Pot Boiling
- The Old Horse
- No More Collecting
- Worthy of Tom Brown
- Wonderfully Popular
- Messing Together
- “Merry and Bright”
- Next, Please!
- That “Interest”
- Sad and Glad
- Unexpected!
- Tempting Grapes
- “Our Menu!”
- Trust Thomas!
- Night Duty
- Sea Echoes
- The Motor-Man
- An Interpreter
- A Proper Adventure
- “Culture” for Them
- Cooking no Joke
- Let Down Lightly
- XIX. MATTERS IN GENERAL
- The Kilt
- Proper Officers
- Scented!
- Bottles All the Way
- Brain and Muscle
- A True Dream
- “Tough Nuts”
- No Football!
- Hungry!
- Animal Instinct
- Sacramental
- Sportsmen!
- Praise and Song
- Convalescent!
- A Strange “Bisley”
- “Tiddlers!”
- Grace—and Food
- Polus!
- “Gey Hard!”
- “Terribly Put Out”
- A Fortunate One
- Joke, but No Beer
- The Country Round
- “Jambon!”
- XX. SUMMING IT UP
- “Chin-Waggers”
- The Better Man
- No Anxiety
- Volunteers!
- The Popular C.I.C.
- The Wrong Horse
- Close Fighting
- Mud—and Glory
- What Thinks the Kaiser?
- Professional!
- “Cracking Up!”
- Easily the Best
- The Whip Hand
- The Pathos of It
- The London Bus
- Putting up with It
- Rubbing It In
- The Franco-British Team
- Music and Lunch
- The Indian Men
- A Happy Ending
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