At the outbreak of the First World War, boys as young as 12, caught up in the overwhelming tide of patriotism, cheerfully enlisted for active service in huge numbers.

Many were to serve in the bloodiest battles of the war, like Frank Lindley, who seeking to avenge his dead brother, went over the top on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. He was just 16.

Some were unable to stand the strain of trench life and, often through the intervention of their parents, were sent home, while others won medals for gallantry or became highly efficient officers.

Drawing on unpublished diaries and letters, as well as the testimonies of the last survivors, this book records their stories of sacrifice and heroism.

The 2005 original work is completely revised and updated in this new edition.

Boy Soldiers of the Great War by Richard van Emden is a completely revised 2012 Bloomsbury edition of the original published in 2005 by Headline Book Publishing, London.

It is a 394-page 13x20cm paperback in great condition with some excellent photographs.

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