The Imperial War Museum book of 1914 : the men who went to war

1914 is one of the great seismic years of modern times.

The summer peace was shattered by an assassination in the Balkans and, within weeks, a continent was engulfed in war.

Eager volunteers rushed to enlist. All the nations involved believed in the righteousness of their cause, and everybody thought the fighting would be over in weeks.

One by one the illusions with which the war began were shattered.

War that seemed glorious in August was denounced as 'absolutely ghastly' by September.

British soldiers sent across the Channel found the roads clogged by crowds of French and Belgian refugees, their lives destroyed.

The suffering caused by the siege of Antwerp, the hard-fought battles of Mons and Ypres, even the fragile Christmas Truce, brought the reality of war home.

Drawing on new material from the archives of the Imperial War Museum Malcolm Brown skilfully recreates this pivotal year through the eyes of the men and women who experienced the war first-hand, vividly capturing the brutality of war as well as the moments of humanity.