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 defence of the country. Many would become household names such as Basil Rathbone, the definitive Sherlock Holmes, AA 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 JB Priestley, and JRR 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 JRR 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 is 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. SALES ? Famous tells the Great War stories of as many as twenty of Britain's most respected ? Famous names include:- Basil Rathbone, A A Milne, John Laurie and Arnold Ridley. From politicians such as Harold Macmillan and Winston Churchill, and writers including JB Priestly and JRR Tolkein AUTHOR Richard Van Emden has written a number of books about the First World War, largely based on oral history. His books include Veterans, the Last Survivors of the Great War (1998), Prisoners of the Kaiser (2000), The Trench (accompanying the BBC2 series, 2001), All Quiet on the Home Front (203) Boy Soldiers (2005) and the bestselling Britain's Last Tommies (accompanying the BBC1 documentary 2005).
