The First and the Last of the Sheffield City Battalion (Paperback)
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
Pages: 224
Illustrations: 60 black and white
ISBN: 9781526767363
Published: 5th May 2020
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This is the story of two Sheffield men from very different social backgrounds, who both volunteered in early September 1914 and joined the new Pals battalion (12th Bn York and Lancaster Regt).
One of these men was Vivian Simpson, a 31 year old solicitor who was well known in the city; partly because he was an outstanding footballer, playing for Sheffield Wednesday and an England trialist. Simpson was the very first man to enrol for the new battalion and was commissioned in January 1915.
The other man was Reg Glenn, a clerk in the Education Offices who served as a signaller in each battle the 12th Battalion fought in until the summer of 1917, when he was selected to become an officer.
To his annoyance, Vivian Simpson was kept back in England as a training officer until after the battalion’s disaster on the Somme on 1 July 1916. However, after that he became a most energetic and courageous officer. He was awarded an MC in 1917, but was killed in the German offensive on the Lys in April 1918.
Reg Glenn went back to France in 1918 as a subaltern in the North Staffordshires and was wounded on the Aisne in his first day of combat as an officer. He was never fit enough to go back to the trenches and became a training officer in Northumberland with his new regiment and later with the Cameronians at Invergordon. He survived the war and lived to be 101 years old, making him the last survivor of the 12th Battalion.
There is charm, humanity, humour and poignancy here and illustrations aplenty of the protagonists. This is a book for serious historians and newcomers alike.
The Western Front Association
A good read. Thoroughly recommended.
This book gives an interesting insight into two people who had very different experiences during the First World War. The author John Cornwall has followed these two men through their lives and experiences, and as such has written a well detailed account of two lives. One that was tragically cut short due to being killed in 1918, but the other lived to the ripe old age of 101 and was the last of 12th Battalion to pass. This book would make a good start to any Great War book collection, or an ideal addition to one that has already been started.
Armorama
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It is a fascinating tale of two lives which in many ways will be very familiar as so many people joined up to fight in the war, many for different reasons and expecting to have differing outcomes. This is an excellent book, well written and researched and it was so interesting to read the stories about two similar men at different ages and how they saw life and the war in the same battalion. A very good 4 star book.
UK Historian
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This is a rather different take on Great War history and I recommend it.
The Long, Long Trail
Read the full review here
This is a poignant and moving story of life in
Firetrench
The Trenches during the Great War. – Highly Recommended.
Read the full review here
As featured by
Bradway Bugle
Editor's Choice
The Great War magazine, January 2020
The book then follows the post-war events of both protagonists and traces the parallels that cannot fail to affect the reader's sensitivity. How many young broken lives and how many others marked by an event that represents a crossroads in the history of the world, a before and an after.
Old Barbed Wire Blog
John Cornwell composes a book that is a small gem among the books on the Great War, a book that cannot be missed on the shelves of fans of military history.
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On: Yorkshire magazine
For me this is a special book as one of those it features is Reg Glenn who I knew. An engaging tale of two men from the Sheffield City Battalion with much about the Somme. A great book & highly readable. Recommended.
Paul Reed via Twitter
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Article: 'Brothers in arms who came from opposite sides of city' as featured by
Sheffield Telegraph, 28th November 2019 – words by Julia Armstrong
Click here to listen to author interview
BBC Radio Sheffield with presenter Rony Robinson, 25th November 2019
NOTE: set cursor to 16:00
Article: 'Sheffield writer's book looks at contrasting lives of two city World War One soldiers' as featured by
The Star, 15th November 2019 – words by Julia Armstrong
Article: 'The lads have been through hell' - Yorkshire soldier's words from front line shared in book capturing horrors of First World War trenches as featured by
The Yorkshire Post (print & online) – words by Stephen McClare
About John Cornwell
John Cornwell was born in Hull in 1939 and read International History at the LSE. He taught in Sheffield for 23 years and also in Jamaica and Canada. He was the Deputy Leader of South Yorkshire County Council, a member of the Arts Council of G.B., Chair of the Crucible and Lyceum Theatres, Chair of the Rugby League’s Youth Commission and Vice Chair of the Yorkshire and Humberside Sports Council. In retirement he became an author and has written 19 books, mainly about aspects of local history. He lives in Sheffield and his interests include military history, writing poetry and rugby league.
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