Famous Scott's, Including Scott Baio, Scott Adams, Scott Weiland and More [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Private Peat" by Harold R. Peat is an interesting memoir of WWI. I did not find its general theme to coincide with much of the other literature of the Great War. Since it was written and published while the conflict was still raging in 1917, I found its' value to lie more in reference to the spirit of the day before the ugly reality of modern warfare was evident to the public. This is especially ironic because Peat saw the horrors of the trenches and received a disabling wound, yet his book is defined by a chest thumping national pride and unquestionable obedience to his superior officers. This is not the reaction that the majority of battle hardened vets of the Great War would experience. Many who survived the horrors of futile human wave attacks and feet numbing mud would become overly cynical concerning the competence of overall strategy, but not Harold Peat. I would even venture to say that his book borders on propaganda and his motivations for writing it may have had some serious "governmental" influence. The book became a New York Times bestseller and clearly was read by many a doughboy before embarkation for Europe. Though I found the romanticizing of war to be somewhat antiquated, I think it gives a great picture of the mentality that led to such a massive loss of life during World War I.

In comparison to WWII, the First World War produced very few first person accounts. Of those that do exist, most are from the British Expeditionary Force and Commonwealth troops of Australia, New Zealand and other colonies. Peat's book gives a personal telling of his experience in the 1st Canadian Infantry Division from its training in late 1914 to its entrance into the war on the Western Front during the winter and spring of 1915.

Peat is an above average writer and his book has a stylish flair to it. It is vaguely Victorian in its glorification of sacrifice and combat. I can't be totally sure if this was how the author truly felt or if he had ulterior motives. It is true that many soldiers of the Great War were brought up during the late Victorian period when pride in the glory of England's empire ran very high indeed. One of the defining features of much literature from the War is the clash of these ideals with the futile stalemate on the Western Front and how perception and belief are altered by this experience. Though Peat does not completely gloss over the misery of the Western Front (he states the 80% casualty rate of his Division at Ypres), he seems to embody a resilience that at times seems unrealistic. Again, it is impossible to truly know where the author stood, but as a decorated veteran I wanted to take his story at face value. It is only because of a romanticized depiction of combat that made me wonder if there was more to the author's story not printed, because to be brutally honest would hinder the war effort during the crucial year of 1917.

Peat's story begins in linear fashion as he trains and ships of to France during the end of 1914. Upon entering the trenches, his writing shifts to generalized series of anecdotes concerning the routine of daily life on the front and the frequent boredom of the time between epic battles. Peat is honest about the horrible conditions, but I did question the unflappable morale of the men; though it is possible that so early in the war men were still optimistic about fighting it. As winter turns to spring of 1915, Peat engages in the battles of Ypres as the 1st Canadian Division losses over ten thousand men in a few mere days. These are the warning signs of things come, but Peat can say nothing other than how gloriously these men fell. His account of Ypres is fairly interesting and it's the main combat section. There are other minor battles until sometime later in the year Peat is wounded and sent to a hospital. A decent read, more of value as a time capsule document from 1917 than a straight telling of trench life in WWI.