Belfast Boys: How Unionists and Nationalists Fought and Died Together in the First World War by Richard S. Grayson (GT679)

Published 2009: First Edition / Hardcover / Very Good Condition / Illustrated throughout

Original red cloth with gilt titles on the spine and original pictorial dust jacket. 254 very clean and bright pages. Slight shelf wear on the dust jacket. (GT679)

Postage €6.95 including any additional books ordered.
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This is the story of men from either side of West Belfast's sectarian divide during the Great War. Richard S. Grayson follows the volunteers of the 36th and 16th divisions who fought on the Somme and side-by-side at Messines, recovering the forgotten West Belfast men throughout the armed forces, from the retreat at Mons to the defeat of Germany and life post-war. In so doing, he tells a new story which challenges popular perceptions of the war and explains why remembrance remains so controversial in Belfast today.

Grayson has used an innovative method to provide an immensely readable history of a locality swept into continental events. His diligent research allows him to detail the lives and community conflicts that they re-entered upon their return. It should be read by all with an interest in Irish history, and indeed those with an appreciation for solidly researched, well-crafted scholarship.
Irish Post

Highly readable.
History Ireland

Mention in The Times, December 2009
Irish News

Richard Grayson paints his picture of religious co-operation from a human perspective - focusing on the young squaddies who fought and died together.
Books Ireland

That rare thing, a book that says something new about the Irish experience of World War One. The book deserves a wide audience and is well researched and written. The scholarship, though extensive, is lightly worn and the book is very readable. Wherever possible, the soldiers and their families speak for themselves.
Sunday Business Post.

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