Philip Ziegler: Soldiers

By MARGIE THOMSON

Those old soldiers who once were young and dashing and who fought at battles from Passchendaele to Indonesia are old now - some of them very old - and in England many of them reside as In-Pensioners at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, parading once a year dressed in splendid scarlet coats and ceremonial tricorn hats.

Nine of them tell their stories in this remarkable book, which has set out not just to chronicle their battles and war experiences, but to get at the heart of their life experiences: their motives and morality, the conditions that in some cases made even joining the Army in 1917 seem attractive.

These nine short biographies span the 20th century. Some of the men are charming, optimistic, generous; some less so. But all have stories worth telling.

Chatto and Windus

$75