Where Poppies Blow by John Lewis-Stempel

Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.“ John Lewis-Stempel has a sharp eye, a fluent pen and that omnivorous, innocently English curiosity about wild creatures.” The Times The natural history of the Western Front during the First World War by the award-winning author of Meadowland. Where Poppies Blow is the unique story of how nature gave the British soldiers of the Great War a reason to fight, and the will to go on.

But above all, nature healed, and, despite the bullets and blood, it inspired men to endure. Nature was also sometimes a curse - rats, spiders and lice abounded, and disease could be biblical.

Soldiers went fishing in flooded shell holes, shot hares in no-man's land for the pot, and planted gardens in their trenches and billets. Animals provided comfort and interest to fill the blank hours in the trenches - bird-watching, for instance, was probably the single most popular hobby among officers. Winner of the 2017 Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize for nature writing The natural history of the Western Front during the First World War 'If it weren't for the birds, what a hell it would be.' During the Great War, soldiers lived inside the ground, closer to nature than many humans had lived for centuries. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition.

Where Poppies Blow by John Lewis-Stempel