“Outside frequent explosions reminded us that Fritz was still cross over a nasty prod in the vitals that we had given him.”

Alarms and Excursions: Reminiscences of a Soldier is the moving and entertaining account of Sir Tom Bridges’ life in the military.

He recalls his early life in Kent, his very British family and his time at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich, as well as what he describes as an ‘interlude’ for education and marriage, amongst a distinguished military career.

Bridges’ military service begins with India and Nyassaland, where he was initially stationed.

During the Boer War Bridges fought in South Africa where he assisted in the relief of Ladysmith and Mafeking.

When the World went to war in 1914, Bridges was plunged into a new kind of war, fighting at the Marne, Yser and the Somme.

In 1918 Bridges was dispatched to Novorossik to liaise with South Russia.

Critiquing the disordered politics and the waste of life at the Somme, Alarms and Excursions is a detailed memoir of commitment and perseverance in the face of sobering events.