Teenage Tommy - Ben Clouting

[Paul Nixon]

Originally published by Spellmount in 1996

Now republished by Pen & Sword at £19.99 (hardback)

Edited by Richard Van Emden

In my opinion this is the pick of the recent re-prints by Pen & Sword. There is new introduction by Richard Van Emden and new photos; plus for my money, a dust-jacketed volume always looks and feels so much nicer than a paperback. This was the first of Richard Van Emden's books but it's a pity that Ben Clouting, the teenage Tommy in question, is not acknowledged on the cover, despite the fact that the majority of the words are his. This must be, I presume, due to the fact that RvE is far more saleable than "Ben Clouting".

Ben joined the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards in 1913 and was present with the regiment in France when it claimed the distinction of being the first British regiment to fire a shot in anger. This was the first time I had read this book and it reminded me of veterans I had interviewed in the 1980s - including my own teenage Tommy Old Contemptible, Stan Brown of the Leicestershire Regiment. For me, the value of narratives like this - from men with vivid memories - are the little details and incidents, and glimpses of an England long gone. Ben Clouting talks, quite matter-of-factly of catching sparrows as a boy and then roasting them over a fire for his supper. These days, you'd be up in front of the RSPB.

Recommended.