First World War: 1915

Apr 20, 2025 7:15 AM

Author:Mark Jones,Jonathan Keeble

A unique collection of historic recordings covering the events of 1915, from the first Zeppelin raids to the ultimate failure at Gallipoli.

In this selection of authentic eyewitness accounts, survivors describe the sinking of the Lusitania; the author Compton McKenzie remembers the Gallipoli disaster; and Violet Bonham Carter pays tribute to Rupert Brooke, who died en route to that campaign. In another poignant memoir, a close colleague recalls the last hours of the British nurse Edith Cavell, executed by the Germans for treason.

Women left at home talk about the hazards they faced taking over men’s jobs, particularly in munitions; but it is the troops speaking informally and candidly who convey the truly harrowing nature of the war. Whether helpless during a poison gas attack, or pinned down on the Gallipoli beaches, their memories are bleak. For one soldier, ordered to take part in a firing squad, there was a further horror: the prospect of shooting a comrade for desertion.

As the stalemate of the trenches continued, hopes for 1916 were focused on a radical new invention: the tank.

Reviews

Revelatory, extraordinary . . . There are not others [books] in which the main protagonist has also played such an extensive role for western security services, and, more crucially, is prepared to reveal so much

—— Jason Burke , Guardian

A rollicking read and a rare insider's account of Western spying in the age of Al Qaeda, where the risk if exposed is not Cold War-style expulsion but gruesome execution

—— New York Times

Explosive

—— Independent

You couldn't make it up . . . Agent Storm couldn't really be less like Bond

—— Christina Lamb , Sunday Times

Gripping

—— Publishers Weekly

Reads like a screenplay for a James Bond movie written by Joel and Ethan Coen

—— Washington Post

Morten Storm's account of his nerve-wracking life spying on Al Qaeda for Western intelligence gives us the most detailed, compelling, and human look at modern espionage in the lethal world of jihadist terrorism that we are likely to get'

—— Mark Stout, former CIA officer and Director

Opens a unique window onto bleak interlocking landscapes-the radicalization of European Muslims that has now been energized by the Syrian civil war, the leadership and organization of global jihad, and the twilight struggle waged by western intelligence agencies against an elusive and implacable enemy."

—— Steven Simon, bestselling co-author of The Age of Sacred Terror and The Next Attack

Morten Storm, Paul Cruickshank, and Tim Lister tell an astonishing and unknown tale of the exploits, change of allegiances, double crosses and inner workings of both al Qaeda terrorist groups and the Western intelligence agencies charged with stopping them. Hard to put down

—— Mitch Silber, former Director of Intelligence Analysis at the NYPD and author of The Al Qaeda Factor

Remarkable. As a true spy-story, this book brings you incredibly close to what it actually takes to be an extremist and get into a terrorist group while balancing loyalty and treachery in the world of intelligence. Essential reading for everyone interested in how the war on terrorism is actually fought in the shadows.

—— Dr. Magnus Ranstorp, a leading expert on international terrorism

Reads like a first-rate spy thriller, but it is in fact a stunning and true inside account of the workings, personalities and mindsets of the leaders and operatives of al Qaeda and its worldwide operations . . . an indispensable guide to how the West can counter the appeal of violent jihadism

—— Washington Times

Gripping... provides valuable and fascinating insight into the quiet battle being waged between clandestine national agencies and various terrorist organizations

—— Christian Science Monitor

An important book packed with poignant stories, remarkable characters and uncomfortable truths.

—— Clare Mulley, author of The Spy Who Loved and The Woman Who Saved The Children

Cruel Crossing is an accomplished account of an overlooked part of the Second World War. Using wide-ranging research and an impressive number of eye-witness accounts, Stourton tells the story of the escape lines across the Pyrenees, and of the wartime history of southwest France in all its muddied complexity. The gripping escape stories he narrates are sometimes harrowing, often moving, and above all, full of variety and surprises. There is suffering, extraordinary bravery, friendship and even humour; but there is also treachery, betrayal and villainy. A fitting memorial to how war brings out the best and worst in people.

—— Matthew Parker, author of The Battle of Britain

Enthralling stories ... a moving retelling of some of the war's most heroic episodes

—— Nigel Jones , Telegraph

A vigorous book, full of energy as well as insight

—— Jeremy Black

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