Over the Top

Arthur Guy Empey (1883 - 1963)

Arthur Guy Empey was an American who responded to the sinking of the Lusitania by enlisting with the British Army to fight in France. His experiences in the trenches, including his ultimate wounding and convalescence, became this book. When published in 1917, it was a major hit and helped the recruiting effort when America entered the Great War.

If you've heard of the horror of trench warfare in WWI and want to see it from below dirt level, Empey offers it all here.

Also included is Empey's popular "Tommy's Dictionary of the Trenches" which humorously demystifies the slang used by the British soldier. (Summary by Mark F. Smith)

Genre(s): War & Military, Memoirs

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 Dedication, Foreword, and Glossary 1 Mark F. Smith
00:47:12
Play 02 Glossary Part 2 Mark F. Smith
00:41:34
Play 03 Ch. 1 – From Mufti to Khaki; Ch. 2 – Blighty to Reat Billets Mark F. Smith
00:29:19
Play 04 Ch. 3 – I Go to Church; Ch. 4 – Into the Trench Mark F. Smith
00:10:30
Play 05 Ch. 5 – Mud, Rats, and Shells; Ch. 6 – Back of the Line Mark F. Smith
00:14:53
Play 06 Ch. 7 – Rations; Ch. 8 – The Little Wooden Cross Mark F. Smith
00:16:36
Play 07 Ch. 9 – Suicide Annex; Ch. 10 – The Day’s Work Mark F. Smith
00:10:38
Play 08 Ch. 11 – Over the Top; Ch. 12 – Bombing Mark F. Smith
00:22:01
Play 09 Ch. 13 – My First Official Bath; Ch. 14 – Picks and Shovels Mark F. Smith
00:18:39
Play 10 Ch. 15 – Listening Post; Ch. 16 – Battery D238 Mark F. Smith
00:34:41
Play 11 Ch. 17 – Out in Front; Ch. 18 – Staged Under Fire 19 – On His Own Mark F. Smith
00:31:43
Play 12 Ch. 20 – Chats With Fritz; Ch. 21 – About Turn Mark F. Smith
00:21:31
Play 13 Ch. 22 – Punishments & Machine-gun Stunts; Ch. 23 – Gas Attacks & Spies Mark F. Smith
00:31:28
Play 14 Ch. 24 – The Firing Squad Mark F. Smith
00:35:46
Play 15 Ch. 25 – Preparing for the Big Push; Ch. 26 – All Quiet ? On the Western Front Mark F. Smith
00:33:20
Play 16 Ch. 27 – Blighty Mark F. Smith
00:24:25