Famous, 1914–1918

The World War I experiences of twenty British soldiers who went on to find either fame or infamy.

Famous tells stories of the Great War from twenty of Britain’s most respected, best known and even notorious celebrities. They include politicians, actors, writers, an explorer, a sculptor and even a murderer. The generation that grew up in the late nineteenth century enlisted enthusiastically in the defense of the country. Many would become household names such as Basil Rathbone, the definitive Sherlock Holmes; A.A. Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh; and John Laurie and Arnold Ridley who found fame and public affection as the dour Scotsman Fraser, and the gentle and genial Godfrey, in Dad’s Army. From politicians such as Harold Macmillan and Winston Churchill to writers including J.B. Priestley, and J.R.R. Tolkein, from sculptors like Henry Moore, to composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams, their fame and influence continue even into the twenty-first century.

The authors Richard van Emden and Vic Piuk have discovered the exact locations where these celebrities saw action. They tell the story of how J.R.R. Tolkein led his men over the top on the Somme, where C.S. Lewis was wounded and invalided home, and how Basil Rathbone won the Military Cross for a trench raid (while dressed as a tree). Each story will be examined in detail with pictures taken of the very spot where the actions took place. There are maps of the area that will guide enterprising readers to walk in the footsteps of their heroes.