Kitchener's Last Volunteer: The Life of Henry Allingham, the Oldest Surviving Veteran of the Great War

by Dennis Goodwin, Henry Allingham

Overview

Henry Allingham is the last British serviceman alive to have volunteered for active duty in the First World War and is one of very few people who can directly recall the horror of that conflict. In Kitchener's Last Volunteer, he vividly recaptures how life was lived in the Edwardian era and how it was altered irrevocably by the slaughter of millions of men in the Great War, and by the subsequent coming of the modern age.

Henry is unique in that he saw action on land, sea and in the air with the British Naval Air Service. He was present at the Battle of Jutland in 1916 with the British Grand Fleet and went on to serve on the Western Front. He befriended several of the young pilots who would lose their lives, and he himself suffered the privations of the front line under fire.

In recent years, Henry was given the opportunity to tell his remarkable story to a wider audience through a BBC documentary, and he has since become a hero to many, meeting royalty and having many honours bestowed upon him.

This is the touching story of an ordinary man's extraordinary life - one who has outlived six monarchs and twenty-one prime ministers, and who represents a last link to a vital point in our nation's history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781907195297
Publisher:	Mainstream Publishing Company, Limited
Publication date:	01/31/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	460 KB

About the Author

Henry Allingham was born on 6 June 1896 in Clapton. He made regular public appearances to educate modern generations about the war until his death in July 2009 at the age of 113.

Dennis Goodwin is the founder of the World War One Veterans' Association. He was awarded an MBE in the 2009 Honours list.

Table of Contents

Foreword Prince Charles 9

Preface 13

1 Early Life 19

2 Life In Edwardian England 33

3 First Job 53

4 The Great War Begins 59

5 Henry Volunteers 73

6 Active Service In The RNAS 87

7 Service On The Western Front 99

8 Civvy Street 129

9 The Second World War 139

10 Post-war Life 149

11 Resurrection 153

12 Educating Future Generations 187

13 Henry and Dennis-A Special Friendship 209

14 Testimonies For Henry 221

15 A Published Author 233

Timeline of World Events in Henry Allinghams Life 245

Acknowledgements 253

Editorial Reviews

"Allingham, one of the last living links to a terrible time in our nation's history, fills you with admiration and awe"

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