Thought provoking

A lot of the story is based on supposition but it gave an insight into the horror of WW1

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One man’s story

Fantastic journey of one man through the Great War. Really enjoyed this book, was willing Harry to make it through the war

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absolutely riveting, the detail of research, combined

absolutely riveting. the fact that Private Pallin was such an 'ordinary' soldier meant that all the attention was on the minutae of what it was like to be there. The depth of the research was amazing. I really appreciated what Michael Pallin said in the acknowledgements about having to make a decision at some fairly arbitrary point to write the book, rather than continue dredging for new material. My grandfather went into the first world War in 1914. He had been a reservist, so was part of the BEF. He never attained any rank although both his sons were exceptionally clever men, which suggests that his attitudes may well have been similar to Harry's. i don't think my grandfathe was stupid. He was demobbed at at the end of the war with only the service medals and a Mons rose to show for it. I can't think it was an accident that he called his first born, in 1919, Victor.

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An unexpected journey

Despite knowing the end I was not privy to the trials and challenges that beset not only the Protagonist but also the Author.
From different nations and continents to be always remembered back 'home' was delightful.
Harry was a mild mannered charming fellow which makes you secretly hanker that, somehow, he will come through 'it.'
He had so much more to do and to give. A poignant reminder for all those lost during that catastrophe of war.
Thank you Michael for sharing with us your Great Uncle Harry.

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The beautiful way that Great Uncle Harry was brought to life.

A wonderful sad but enjoyable book. I felt like I really knew great uncle Harry at the end

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Great story very thought provoking

I really enjoyed this book. Such a down to earth story that really makes you think about the men who fought in the war. Loved Michael reading it!

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A superb rescue of Great Uncle Harry from oblivion

Palin’s Great-Uncle Harry was born seven years after his many siblings and for the first thirty years of his life never seemed to find his direction.

Undistinguished at school and aimless in adolescence, he was packed off to India from where he was eventually dismissed as not intelligent or hard-working enough. He seemed to fare better as a farm hand in New Zealand, but he was still restless. Although he appreciated pretty young women for their appearance, , he made no attempt to get to know any. He was nearly thirty before he proposed to the woman he loved back ‘home’, but his sad one-liner in his diary stated that “she didn’t love me enough to marry me”.

It was from New Zealand that he embarked for action in WW1, feeling at last that here was a worthwhile and exciting venture. He was to survive the shameful tragedy of Gallipoli only to die in the slaughter on the Somme.

Harry’s frankly lifeless diaries would not have been enough to make a book, despite their faithful detailing of everyday life, but Palin had in addition a fabulous archive of letters and other documents which , along with his own narrative skills, analysis and interpretation , have enabled him to make his very ordinary lack lustre uncle hauntingly and movingly real . His recreation from these sources of the Gallipoli months and the long, festering delays waiting for engagement in France are startlingly immediate. Palin has done his very best to give his great uncle a life to be remembered – and he has succeeded brilliantly. Perhaps most movingly, Harry’s life is heart-breaking, representing as it does just one of the millions of men wiped out in the madness of WW1 battlefields.

Hearing Palin’s own voice reading this book much enhances the emotional charge of his writing.

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An extraordinary telling of an “ordinary” life

One of the most wonderful things about Michael Palin’s storytelling is that he includes the ordinary details, the everyday mundane moments that make life what it is. He brings back to life here not just his family and his great-uncle Harry, but also those whose lives intertwined with Harry’s.

From Harry’s sweetheart Margie and her missives across the channel to his comrade Sgt Gridley who knew Harry and of his family and witnessed his final moments, Michael’s sharing of Harry’s story is a reminder that, to borrow a line from the book “This book is not the end of a story, but part of the constantly evolving process of finding out more about how we live and how we die.” We all think we live fairly ordinary lives but with the passing of time and technology, our ordinary can seem extraordinary to those who follow.

While Harry’s life came to an end over 100 years ago, his story lives on in this wonderful listen from his great-nephew and is a reminder that though the decades and technology changes many of the ordinary day to day moments and emotions we experience remain the same.

Michael’s reading and sharing of this story was beautiful; I really enjoyed listening to these tales of his ancestors lives from across the centuries and am already looking forward to a re-listen soon again.

PS It’s such a good listen that I ended up purchasing the book too afterwards!

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An extraordinary ordinary life.

Beautifully and simply told with such affection. I think this should be part of curriculum teaching of the Great War.
What a wonder Harry was.

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Very interesting and thought provoking.

A very interesting and informative narrative of Michael Palins relative. So well told that I found the later chapters very affecting. Well done to Michael Palin for doing such justice to his Great Uncle Harry.

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2 people found this helpful