The extreme danger and appalling horrors of fighting in the trenches during the First World War are made dramatically real in this diary of Billy, a young lad growing up in Carlisle. Billy’s mum is dead against him signing up but he is determined to show what he is made of. Everyone thought the war would be over by Christmas but, when Billy turns 16 in 1917, it is still raging. Despite his mum’s objections, Billy is determined to join up. Billy’s experiences as the British army prepares for the Big Push are vividly imagined. Photographs and a timeline add useful detail to this effecting story. ~ Julia Eccleshare
It's 1917 and Billy Stevens is a telegraph operator stationed near
Ypres. The Great War has been raging for three years when Billy
finds himself taking part in the deadly Big Push forward. But he
is shocked to discover that the bullets of his fellow soldiers aren't
just aimed at the enemy...
Jim Eldridge was a teacher before becoming a full-time writer - his writing credits include episodes for the seminal children's TV drama 'Grange Hill' and the novelisation of Noel Clarke's 'Kidulthood' and '4.3.2.1.' He has also written for the My Story series for Scholastic and most recently Black Ops, a teen action series for Egmont. Jim now works as an associate lecturer in scriptwriting and media at the University of Cumbria. He lives with his wife in Cumbria.
