The Carmarthenshire Battalion was one of the early units raised in 1914 as a result of Lord Kitchener's expansion of the regular army for the duration of the Great War. This book profiles the 'Carmarthen Pals', a battalion which fought with great distinction during many of World War One's most significant campaigns.

How the experience of war impacted on the town, from the initial enthusiasm for sorting out the German kaiser in time for Christmas 1914, to the gradual realization of the enormity of human sacrifice the families of Carmarthen were committed to as the war stretched out over the next four years. A record of the growing disillusion of the people, their tragedies and hardships and a determination to see it through. By the time that war erupted in Europe in August 1914, Carmarthenshire had moved from its rural roots into a new industrial age, with great coalfields around the Amman and Gwendraeth Valleys, and the coal, tin and steelworks around Llanelli and Kidwelly. This industrialisation had changed the county forever, with towns like Ammanford, Llanelli and Kidwelly transforming themselves from their original small villages into sprawling towns. The population of the county had surged, so the Great War would see vast numbers of men from the county enlist into the armed forces and head for war, many never to return. 'Carmarthen in the Great War' covers the lives and deaths of many of the brave young men that left the county, interspersing their tales with stories from the home front, which show how the war changed life in the county forever.As featured in the Carmarthen Journal and Wales On Sunday.

Fast-paced and fact-packed, this compendium revels in the history, places and people of Wales’ largest county. Carmarthenshire’s rich heritage is explored within, including sport, industry, religion, education and the arts. This whistle-stop tour through the ‘Garden of Wales’ covers both celebrated characters and murky pasts, taking in the county’s breathtaking castles, nature reserves and famous landmarks along the way. From the county gaol and asylum to school strikes and industrial riots, this is a book you won’t want to put down.

Telling the stories of the battles, the aircraft, the weapons, the soldiers, the poets, and the many heroes, Norman Ferguson delves deep into the history of the 'Great War'. Through anecdotes and statistics, and drawing on letters, speeches and official reports, this comprehensive miscellany is a compelling guide to the ‘Great War’.

Soon after the outbreak of the Great War, following many years of part-time soldiering as cavalry troops on home defense duties, the members of various British Yeomanry regiments were asked to volunteer for overseas service. In 1916, officered by well-known members of the landed gentry, two of the Welsh Yeomanry regiments, the Pembroke Yeomanry and the Glamorgan Yeomanry, were amongst many who embarked for foreign service for the first time ever in their history. Spending the next twelve months in Egypt during the campaign against the Senussi tribesmen, the two regiments merged to form the 24th (Pembroke and Glamorgan Yeomanry) Battalion, Welsh Regiment, which joined the 74th (Yeomanry) Division to take part in the historic offensive into Palestine that ultimately led to the liberation of the Holy City of Jerusalem after 400 years of Ottoman rule. In May 1918, after two years of hard campaigning in the Palestinian deserts, the 24th Welsh embarked for France with the rest of the 74th Division, joining the Allied forces in the victorious 100-day offensive against the Germans. Welsh Yeomanry at War sheds new light on the battalions almost forgotten campaign in Palestine, which saw many of its troops killed and buried in the Holy Land, and also tells the enthralling story of its short but arduous period in France.

It takes a different view of the history of Wales, examining a panorama of different emotions and experiences – laughter, happiness, fear, anger, adventure, lust, loneliness, anxiety – to give an entertaining and exciting new history to Wales. a wide range of sources are used to present the ambitions and anxieties which drove and destroyed Welsh people The book’s literary style and the fact that it follows earlier successful studies by the author should ensure an audience.

An exciting and fast-paced narrative of over 100 gallant officers who died during the First World WarPacked with incredible stories of individual heroism and sacrificeAssiduously researched, rich in detail and lavishly illustratedForeword by John Bercow, Speaker of the House, and introduction by The Hon. Ian R. K. Paisley MP, Freeman City of London Led by Lions: MPs and Sons Who Fell in the First World War tells the story of over 100 men who went to war and did not return. Many MPs fought in the war and in some instances, they pulled strings to get there. Casualties amongst them were high, but the loss of their sons outweighed their own sacrifice. In this book, Neil Thornton dispels the popular belief that the country’s politicians sat in safety while callously sending the nation’s youth to their deaths. Their own sacrifices, together with those of their sons, are described here in poignant detail, including such names as Tom Kettle, William Gladstone and Raymond Asquith. Others such as Valentine Fleming – father of James Bond author Ian Fleming – and Thomas Agar-Robartes feature alongside them. Recommended for the Victoria Cross for the rescue of casualties under heavy fire, Agar-Robartes’ act would cost him his life, but he would earn the respect of every man under his command. This lavishly illustrated book is a tribute to those MPs and their sons who went to war – never to return.