Famous tells the Great War stories of 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 19th 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 21st 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 CS 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.
