Beneath The Poppy Fields
Author: Christopher Chance
£10.00
- ISBN: 9781907340253
- Published 11 Nov 2020
- Format: Paperback
- Number of pages: 170
Chance’s pen takes us to the trenches and tunnels where the horrors of subterranean warfare see brave men die valiantly. Back home in England their wives gallivant with one another and other men. Chance takes us to their sensationally intimate moments and to their husbands’ unimaginable last minutes.
In the blood and gore of World War I the whims of the officer class threatens the tunnellers’ very existence – but it is that sound that imperils the lives of them all, the sound of a baby crying out there in no man’s land.
Revealing inconceivable circumstances underground and the erotically exciting moments of unbridled passion, displays much about the human spirit during the dark days of the war.
Rest in peace Johnny, in the stillness of Etaples cemetery. This novel is fiction based on actual events during The Great War 1914 – 1918
Paul Hobday –
The most realistic and disturbing portrayal of the horrors of total warfare, mixed in with the unforgivable slaughter of men used as cannon-fodder. Brings home the old but very true saying of lions led by donkeys. A book not to be missed by anyone as it teaches the latest generation that war is death of loved ones–not Hollywood. On that point–production as a film is a no-brainer.
Robert –
The most realistic and disturbing portrayal of the horrors of total warfare, mixed in with the unforgivable slaughter of men used as cannon-fodder. Brings home the old but very true saying of lions led by donkeys. A book not to be missed by anyone as it teaches the latest generation that war is death of loved ones–not Hollywood. On that point–production as a film is a no-brainer.
Stephen David Parfitt –
It was factual, very good reading, very enjoyable would recommend reading.
Nicky Griffiths –
I enjoyed reading this book, even though it portrays the horrors of war in graphic detail. The characters are easy to relate to which makes the book easy to read even if you don’t normally enjoy this particular genre.
laura price –
I enjoyed reading it, makes me proud that our men fought for this country and laid down their lives for us, prayer to the heros or all wars, looking forward to other books from this author.
Mandy –
Not a genre I usually read, but the the way the horrors of war were described and characters portrayed, both in the trenches and back home in England saw me unable to put it down. Thoroughly good read.
Jane Collins –
Beneath the Poppy Fields, Christopher Chance author.
This weekend I have watched the Armistice Remembrance Day service with a whole new perspective, having just finished reading Christopher Chance’s Beneath the Poppy Fields. The sheer bravery of ordinary people finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances is depicted with realism and uncompromising attention to detail. There is a lot to learn here about the human spirit: fear, courage, compassion and tenderness, the sanctity of life versus the depravity that is front-line warfare. This book focusses on the miners who signed up to dig the tunnels in France, the challenges from the Officer class, the desensitisation of the horrors encountered and the soul wrenching sound of a baby’s cry amid the madness. I couldn’t put this book down. Without doubt, this could be a truly gripping war film.
Judith –
Very interesting read, I could feel myself in the tunnels with the men. What made it more poignant was the fact that both my grandfathers were in that war. Merely as Cannon fodder, but you got a good idea of what the poor men went through. Thank you Christopher for bringing this time to life. No wonder they never spoke if it.
Karl –
Brilliant book! makes you think of what your relatives went through within that horrendous part of history, My Maternal Grandfather was hit by friendly fire when he and his pal both in the Red Cross were ferrying a wounded soldier back to safety, The horror’s of war never end when you have been injured, suffering from the effects of gas as well the injuries incurred, not to mention the nightmares and the sleepless night’s many wives and children endured whilst worrying and wondering if their Father will ever be like he was before the war? War never benefits the families of the people who have been sacrificed in these wars. The Bankers are the only winners and the Warmonger politicians. Thank you Christopher Chance, this book is a wake up call for everyone who reads it, we have all lost too many in the past, I hope this book will prevent many more from having their lives wasted by those who desire war.
SPadmin –
BENEATH THE POPPY FIELDS by Christopher Chance
Jane
This story has all the key ingredients for a top box office movie!
The inspiration behind this story is the life and untimely death of the author’s grandfather Johnny Gordon, and is based upon real events. BENEATH THE POPPY FIELDS is an emotional WW1 journey from Lancashire coal pits to no man’s land. It traces the often bizarre, harrowing and formidable experiences of a group of Lancashire miners turned soldiers, propagandised and recruited for their skills at digging tunnels and setting explosives, then ferried abroad to fight for King and country in a subterranean battle of wits beneath the Somme.
From his own experiences working underground in compressed air conditions Chance details through his writing the feelings of rabid claustrophobia, tension and abject fear that these men must have felt while working in such onerously cramped, dark, airless conditions, in total silence for fear of their presence being detected – knowing that at any moment, with one false move, they could be blown to smithereens. You feel you are there with those brave British soldiers and in the words of actor Mark Wingett “one can almost smell the cordite”.
Their friends and families, especially their wives and girlfriends left behind had emotional experiences of their own to contend with. With so few men around to assist them, the women had to become resourceful in more ways than one, even seeking love and sexual pleasure from one another in the absence of male company, a subject rarely touched upon in war stories, but cleverly conceived and empathically portrayed in this novel.
I can highly recommend BENEATH THE POPPY FIELDS and other works by this author notably THE ASSASSINS CODE 1 and SATAN’S ARENA.
SPadmin –
Riveting account of WW1 trench warfare
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 November 2023
J Coy
This weekend I have watched the Armistice Remembrance Day service with a whole new perspective, having just finished reading Christopher Chance’s Beneath the Poppy Fields. The sheer bravery of ordinary people finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances is depicted with realism and uncompromising attention to detail. There is a lot to learn here about the human spirit: fear, courage, compassion and tenderness, the sanctity of life versus the depravity that is front-line warfare. This book focusses on the miners who signed up to dig the tunnels in France, the challenges from the Officer class, the desensitisation of the horrors encountered and the soul wrenching sound of a baby’s cry amid the madness. I couldn’t put this book down. Without doubt, this could be a truly gripping war film.