Fragments - A Collection in Words and Pictures: Volume One The First World War

Fragments - A Collection in Words and Pictures: Volume One The First World War

Over nearly fifty years, the author has built up an extensive collection of memorabilia from the First and Second World Wars. The author gives talks to school and adult groups about the First World War and Second World War Home Front using his collection to illustrate these talks.

Fragments looks at selected items from the private collection, providing a narrative about the original artefacts that also gives an insight into the life of the individuals who owned them. Fragments is intended as a salute to those that survived the war and as a memorial to those who did not.

About the author

David James Parker has been interested in military history from an early age. He has previously published Missing with Redshank, the story of two brothers who were lost in World War 2. David started collecting items of militaria at ten years old when he found some medals in a bin. He has been giving talks about the First and Second World Wars for many years, using his extensive collections to illustrate these. David served in the Royal Observer Corps for twelve years before joining the Army Cadet Force as an instructor. He has also had a number of magazine articles published.

A review ...

"A very readable book which highlights the extraordinariness of ordinary people during the First World War, the self-contained chapters making it an ideal book for dipping in and out of over time. It contains little gems of information around the history of the personal effects left behind to the families of a variety of military personnel. The Mary Box, a bullet with a name carved on the side, hand-embroidered postcards, 'lousy days' and more are explored by Dave to give us a rich insight to the unique artefacts of War.”
- Kay Moseley