A Coward if I Return, A Hero if I Fall: Stories of Irishmen in World War I

IRELAND'S FORGOTTEN LEGACY In 1914-1918, two hundred thousand Irishmen from all religions and backgrounds went to war. At least thirty-five thousand never came home. Those that did were scarred for the rest of their lives. Many of these survivors found themselves abandoned and ostracised by their countrymen, their voices seldom heard. The book includes: The Irish soldier firing the first shot, The first Victoria Cross, Leading the way at Gallipoli and the Somme, North and South fighting side by side at Messines Ridge, Ireland's flying aces, Brothers-in-arms - heart-rending stories of family sacrifice The lucky escapes of some; the tragic end of others, and the homecoming - why there was no hero's welcome.