Nothing in the papers, not the most vivid and heart-rending descriptions, have made me realise war like your letters'' Vera Brittain to Roland Leighton, 17 April 1915.

This selection of letters, written between 1913 & 1918, between Vera Brittain and four young men - her fiance Roland Leighton, her brother Edward and their close friends Victor Richardson & Geoffrey Thurlow present a remarkable and profoundly moving portrait of five young people caught up in the cataclysm of total war.
Roland, ''Monseigneur'', is the ''leader'' & his letters most clearly trace the path leading from idealism to disillusionment. Edward, '' Immaculate of the Trenches'', was orderly & controlled, down even to his attire. Geoffrey, the ''non-militarist at heart'' had not rushed to enlist but put aside his objections to the war for patriotism''s sake. Victor on the other hand, possessed a very sweet character and was known as ''Father Confessor''. An important historical testimony telling a powerful story of idealism, disillusionment and personal tragedy.