British soldiers have been known as Tommies for centuries, but the name is particularly associated with the British soldier in World War I. In 1914, a small professional force of British soldiers crossed the Channel to aid the French. It soon became apparent that the war would be protracted, and a vast drive for volunteer soldiers began. By 1918 the army was transformed, fielding 5.5 million men on the Western Front alone. These Tommies were fighting an entirely new type of war, living and dying in vast trench systems, threatened by death from the air or by gas attack as well as by rifle or bayonet. This book explores the development of the 'Tommy', and his experience of war. AUTHORS: John Sadler BA (Hons) M.Phil, FRHistS, FSA (Scotl.) is an author, lecturer, battlefield tour guide and historical interpreter. He has been a visiting lecturer at the North East Centre for Lifelong Learning teaching war studies for fifteen years and has some thirty published titles in print or preparation. He is an experienced battlefield tour guide for both world wars in Europe and for a range of earlier conflicts. As a historical interpreter and partner in Time Bandits, he has appeared in a wide variety of guises in museums, galleries, schools, the community and heritage sites from Ramses II of Egypt to WWII Home Guard and Auxiliaries. He is married with two daughters and lives in mid-Northumberland. Rosie Serdiville is a writer and educator with a particular interest in radical history. She works together with John Sadler in schools and for heritage sites, often using our very different viewpoints to provide an alternative commentary on historical events. She is Vice President of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, and co-author with John Sadler of 7 military history titles.