1923: A Memoir: "Lies and Testaments" - Softcover

Smith, Harry Leslie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0987842501 ISBN 13: 9780987842503

Publisher: Barley Hole LLC, 2011

Synopsis

In the book 1923, Harry Leslie Smith chronicles the tragic story of his early life in this first volume of his memoirs. Born into poverty in the mining town of Barnsley, Yorkshire, Smith presents his family’s early history—their misfortunes and their experiences of enduring betrayal, inhumane poverty, infidelity, and abandonment. 1923: A Memoir presents the story of a life lyrically described, capturing a time both before and during World War II when personal survival was dependent upon luck and guile. During this time, failure insured either a trip to the workhouse or burial in a common grave. Brutally honest, Smith’s story plummets to the depths of tragedy and flies up to the summit of mirth and wonder, portraying real people in an uncompromising, unflinching voice.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

The sky is clear. I am in the back of a truck, in a long convoy of vehicles. We are moving like an enormous centipede up a two lane road. There are 15 men in each lorry. Woodbine cigarettes and Capstans dangle from our mouths. The straps to our tin helmets hang loosely around our chins. We are cocksure and unafraid. We are survivors and conquerors pushing our way through northern Germany. Opposite our convoy, there is an endless procession of refugees. They are pushing their scant possessions in hand carts or dragging along worn luggage with ropes wrapped around them. The procession contained men and women, the young and the old. Thin, cadaverous horses followed the throng dragging their hoofs in the thin soil beside the road. The jetsam was a mixture of forced labourers, ex prisoners, ex concentration camp inmates and the Diaspora from Germany's eastern provinces. They were all moving southward, as if believing that their homes still existed or that they still had relatives alive to give them shelter. If the Netherlands and Belgium were any example to me, there was little left of Europe. What had not been bombed had been looted and what had not been looted had been burned to the ground.

About the Author:

Harry Leslie Smith is a survivor of the Great Depression, a second world war RAF veteran and, at 94, an activist for the poor and for the preservation of social democracy. His Guardian articles have been shared over a million times on Facebook and have attracted huge comment and debate. He has authored numerous books including the acclaimed Harry's Last Stand and Love Among the Ruins. Harry Leslie Smith books are represented by Aitken & Alexander. His latest book "Don't Let My Past Be Your Future is published by Constable and available for sale in September 2017. Join Harry on twitter with 92k other followers @harryslaststand or listen to his podcast by the same name on Itunes.

About this edition

• Publisher: Barley Hole LLC
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0987842501
• ISBN 13: 9780987842503
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 222