Myths and Legends of the First World War

Accounts of the First World War usually centre on gruelling life in the trenches, living and fighting on the front line. While incorporating wartime life, this book gives a refreshingly different perspective by looking at the rich crop of legends that sprang from the battlefields. Many of these myths still persist in the public consciousness even today. Some of the legends remain well-known while others are more obscure. Yet all are mirrored in recent conspiracy theories, folk tales of the paranormal and moral panics. Tales such as the Angel of Mons are still debated today. The phenomenon occurred when British troops, exhausted from many days marching to battle, reported sightings of a troop of angels on the battlefield at Mons. The story goes that the supernatural presence terrified the German soldiers, who were forced to retreat. The unexplained disappearance of a whole Territorial battalion of the Norfolk Regiment at Gallipoli, is also a lingering controversy. Using a wide range of contemporary documentary sources, James Hayward retells the story of each myth with possible explanations for how they came about.
He illustrates his narrative with a variety of contemporary photographs and illustrations, some of which are rare and from his own private collection.