Roy Stolworthy has written a brilliant and poignant account of the life and often death of soldiers in the trenches of World War 1. His hero is Thomas Elkin.At fifteen years of age Thomas becomes a soldier in the Yorkshire Rifles in his deceased brother's place. He didn't go to war because it was a great adventure, didn't want to be a hero, and didn't do it for King and Country, either. He was responsible for his brother's death and guilt ridden, he wanted to die, and on the battlefield that was an honourable way in which to do it.The author's style of writing is vivid, and it is hard to believe that this is a work of fiction. I have visited the battlefields of France and Belgium while researching my own World War 1 books, and I can tell you this, the descriptions of the countryside and battles are so vivid I could see the red poppies dancing in the fields, smell the cordite and hear the gunfire and screams of wounded and dying men. The fact that the author mentions places in France and Belgium that I have visited adds even more potency to Thomas Elkin's remarkable story. He is a boy of fifteen who becomes a battle hardened soldier at the tender age of sixteen years.This book would stack up well with Sebastian Faulk's novel, Bird Song. I am biased as World War 1 is an era I am interested in, but I can honestly say, this is a story you won't be able to put down once you have started reading it. It deserves all the accolades it is receiving.Margaret TannerPublished Author