As featured in article: 'Great War peace treaty created in Sussex manor house in 1918'

Sussex Express, 27th July 2018

An illustrated introductory guide to the conflict. A good gift for the uninitiated friend or relative.

WWI Historical Association

This handbook is perfect for those who don't really want to analyse the causes and consequences of the war but who simply want facts, figures and accurate data to help paint a picture of this momentous period. [It] gives a fascinating insight into the world of the Great War - a book that no student of the subject can afford to be without.

Federation of Family History Societies

This is an ideal book for anyone interested in exploring the Great War.

Destructive Music

Packed with useful and, at times, extraordinary information [it] is an essential guide to this horrendous conflict.

Thoroton Society

A valuable illustrated 240 page guide with an astonishing amount of information. It serves as a starting point for research for those investigating the stories of servicemen and women of this conflict and also providing essential background information.

Essex Family Historian

I can thoroughly recommend this book for anyone who wants to know more about the First World War.

Dover Express

The forthcoming centenary is likely to provoke a great deal of interest in the First World War from those with little or no prior knowledge about it, and whilst there are literally hundreds of books about the conflict to choose from, for the first time reader it can be difficult to know where to start to find that elusive bit information that may help shed light on their ancestor’s war service. The Great War Handbook seeks to redress this by providing a useful reference tool covering a number of areas. The book contains a wealth of information on a diverse range of topics within its 200 pages.

The Great War Handbook does an excellent job of bringing together concise explanations of a number of key areas. It always amazes me just how much there is to learn about the war, and novice and seasoned researchers alike will find something of interest here, and I know it is a book I will continue to refer to in the future.

Firetrench Reviews

In 2014 a four-year commemoration will begin to mark the centenary of a conflict which changed the world forever, leaving more than 16 million dead. In many ways, World War I needs little introduction. How much, though, do you really know about the events which would shape the 20th century? Can you explain how the assassination of the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Sarajevo led to millions of British men spending the next four years in trench warfare in northern France and Belgium?

If these questions draw a few blanks, it is worth getting hold of Geoff Bridger’s The Great War Handbook, now available in paperback. Designed as a guide for people embarking on family history research, it will serve well for anyone wanting to get a better grasp of what life in the trenches was actually like. Bridger has extensive knowledge of the conflict with particular expertise in army life and the experience of the ordinary soldier, having written books and articles on the subject over many years. The book is illustrated with photographs and documents given to him by some of the many veterans he has interviewed over the years.

While a handbook may sound like a dry text-book, the book is packed with compelling information. For those interested in understanding what life was really like for the average soldier on that font, this book will be an invaluable starting point.

The History Vault

This one is a cracker. We’ve seen other guides to the Great War and some of them have had the weight and girth to be the book to end all books. They knock spots off the internet with their special blend of depth and presentation and offer something tangible you can keep hold of rather than merely log in to as and when the need arises.

Size wise this is a diminutive offering compared to the others, but don’t let this fool you because the book is crammed with information and although it is obviously aimed at new visitors to the war it didn’t stop me finding lots of facts. As Corelli Barnett says in his forward; the book has done a great service for professional historians and newbies alike.

If you don’t want the kind of books that will swamp your book case but need a quality guide to the war then you could do a lot worse than this one. It will prepare you for the next four years and might even get you thinking about making your own pilgrimage to the battlefields.

War History Online

'The Great War Handbook' is packed with information and will prove an essential guide for family historians and students of the conflict. It answers many of the basic questions newcomers ask when confronted by this enormous and challenging subject – not only what happened and why, but what the Great War was like for ordinary soldiers who were caught up in it.

Sussex Express

The book is indexed, but the table of contents is detailed, identifying all the subheadings. This makes it easy to find information on a specific subject. If you have a British World War 1 relatives that you are searching for, this is one book that you will want to add to your collection, and it should be in any genealogy collection with a military of modern European focus.

Paul Milner, FGS Forum, Spring 2011

Geoff Bridger's The Great War Handbook answers many of the basic questions newcomers ask when confronted by this enormous and challenging subject. His comprehensive survey of every aspect of the soldier's life is an essential guide for students, family historians, teachers and anyone who is eager to gain an all-round understanding of the nature of the conflict. It is a basic reference book that no student of the subject can afford to be without.

Kent Family History Society Journal