Frederic Manning is generally acknowledged as the finest novelist of the
Western Front. Born in Australia, novelist and poet Frederic Manning
moved to England in his youth and was an off-and-on presence there for
much of his life. He enlisted during 1915 into the Shropshire Light
Infantry, and served in France during 1916 as 'Private 19022'. The
Shropshires saw heavy fighting on the Somme, and Manning's four months
there provided the background to Her Privates We. An undisputed classic
of war writing and a lasting tribute to all who participated in the war
to end all wars.