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Passchendaele

The Story of the Third Battle of Ypres 1917

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Passchendaele

By: Lyn Macdonald
Narrated by: Alison Dowling
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Four years of war turned Ypres into a ghost town. Not a leaf grew on a tree. Scarcely one stone stood upon another. From the battered ramparts the eye swept clean across a field of rubble to the swamp-lands beyond....

The Third Battle of Ypres, ending in a desperate struggle for the ridge and little village of Passchendaele, was one of the most appalling campaigns in the history of warfare. A million Tommies, Canadians and Anzacs assembled at the Ypres Salient in summer of 1917, mostly raw young troops keen to do their bit for king and country. This book tells their tale of mounting disillusion amid mud, terror and increasingly desperate attacks, yet it is also a story of immense courage, comradeship, high spirits and hope.

In Passchendaele, Lyn Macdonald lets more than 600 soldiers speak for themselves. In doing so, she portrays events from the only point of view that really matters.

©2013 Lyn Macdonald (P)2020 Penguin Audio Europe Military

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All stars
Most relevant  
An excellent account of the madness of war. Well read and very moving. Food fop thought at this time of One more European war.

Passchendaele slaughter

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A detailed a forensic analysis of 3rd Ypres was ruined for me by the appalling attempt at regional
and international accents. From the ‘Allo Allo’ style Belgian accent to the classic ‘Australian passing for Australian and New Zealand’ the performer attempts Canadian (which comes out as American), Scottish with no attempt at anything other than colloquial Glaswegian, Generic Geordie and a really awful Northern Irish. If you can’t do the accents then get someone who can it don’t bother. It ruins the whole story

Ruined by the performer

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I didn't realise this was written in 1980. When listening, there were dated comments about generals and chateaus. the personal accounts are fascinating especially as I walked the ground a few weeks ago.

Good read but dated in parts.

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So well described, the appalling, unimaginable conditions endured by men fighting for their country, One could almost smell the death, destruction and sense the despair. The narration was superb, capturing the various accents heightened the experience.

Incredibly well read and brilliantly narrated, does justice to the wonderful.writing

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A well read account of the battle of Ypres. First hand accounts of the battle entwined around a description of what happened on a more general level.
This truly was the Greatest generation. Rest in peace all you brave souls.

Harrowing tale of a bloody battle

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very well written tragic event. must not be forgotten or distorted by time. the book works towards this.

tragic History

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I read this book many years ago and it it effected me deeply. I knew one on the participants when I was a boy, whose story featured in the book. I knew him as a lovely gentle old man called Doctor Annan, who was retired. In the book he was Lieutenant Jim Annan of 9th Royal Scots who went through hell at Minty’s Farm. He was my mates Grandad.
I purchased the audiobook recently and experienced even more powerful emotions listening to the superb narrator take me again on that bloody journey to the top of the Passchendale ridge where the flower of a generation were sacrificed.

A story that needed to be told

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This is my second Lyn MacDonald audio book after Roses of No mans land.
This second book was offen a very harrowing story,not shy of telling of the full horrors of The battle for Passchendael. What the soldiers endured was horrific. It is not surprising that it was call the Hell of Passchendael.
Despite all the grim horrors, I enjoyed the book, and would definitely recommend it. Once again beautifully narrated by Alison Dowling.

Another First-class listen

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In 1989 I had the honour of dining with Lyn MacDonald and General Sir John Akehurst at a restaurant at Zonnebeke on Passchendaele Ridge. She had brought with her some survivors of The Great War that had fought there in 1917. An unforgettable evening indeed. This book brought back all the horrifying stories that were told to me then. Highly recommended. The narration is excellent.

Brilliant Book

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This was war in graphic detail as told through the eyes of those who witnessed the raw brutality. Shocking waste of life. Narrator was excellent.

Gripping accounts of epic battles at Passchendaele

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