The Last Fighting Tommy cover art

The Last Fighting Tommy

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Last Fighting Tommy

By: Harry Patch, Richard van Emden
Narrated by: Alan Howard
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £7.99

Buy Now for £7.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Harry Patch, the last British soldier alive to have fought in the trenches of the First World War, is now 109 years old and one of very few people who can directly recall the horror of that conflict.

After a rural childhood in Somerset, Harry left school in 1913 to become a plumber. Three years later, he was fighting in the mud and trenches during the Battle of Passchendaele. He saw a great many of his comrades die, and in one dreadful moment the shell that wounded him killed his three closest friends.

Harry vividly describes the terror and intensity of daily life in the trenches. The Second World War saw him in action on the home front as a fire-fighter during the bombing of Bath. Late in life, Harry achieved fame, meeting the Queen and taking part in the BBC documentary The Last Tommy, finally shaking hands with a German veteran of the artillery, and speaking out frankly to Prime Minister Tony Blair about the soldiers shot for cowardice in the First World War.

This is the story of an ordinary man's extraordinary life.

©2007 Richard van Emden (P)2008 Hachette Audio
Military Politicians World War I War
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Forgotten Voices of the Great War cover art
In Their Own Words cover art
Britain's Last Tommies cover art
Bravo Two Zero - 20th Anniversary Edition cover art
Last Post cover art
Brothers in War cover art
Tommy's War cover art
Somme cover art
The Trees Are All Young on Garrison Hill cover art
Australian Heroines of World War One cover art
War, Wine, and Valour cover art
Rifleman cover art
Fur Volk and Fuhrer cover art
A Bigger Field Awaits Us cover art
Fierce Valor cover art
Gallipoli 1915 cover art

Critic reviews

"[An]extraordinary autobiography... a moving, non-sentimental account by the very last witness of a devastating four years in Britain's history." ( Daily Mail)

"For Harry Patch, born in 1898 and wounded at Passchendaele, November 11 is just showbiz. He remembers September 22: the day his two best mates were killed. This really is living history."(The Guardian)

"We hear Harry's own husky measured voice in the introduction; the rest of his story is narrated by Alan Howard, who nicely recaptures his character."(The Times)

What listeners say about The Last Fighting Tommy

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    59
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    38
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    48
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

moving

Read the book twice now listed for the first time. moving and wonderful. RIP Harry
Richard 👍

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

moving

Really good book. Very moving. Thank you Harry for your service. A must read for any interested in WW 1

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Not a story of war, but of an ordinary chap

Brilliant. Loved it. Worth every minute.
This isn't just about his time in the trenches, but is more about his life and how he came to find his way to the trenches of France in WW1. A great recollection that tells the story which might otherwise be forgotten. The "none war" bits of the story are equally compelling. It's got up's and down's as you'd expect, and is a highly recommended read/listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Haunting & Inspiring

A fantastic story from a truly fantastic man, highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

History in your own lifetime.

Made you appreciate what these young men went through not so very long ago.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

fantastic insight

really enjoyed listening to this book, dear old Harry Patch. It gives a great insight not just into his war service but also his life before and after the war. It is also a great snap shot of what life in general was like and how we lived 100 years ago.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

lovely book

this book made me think of the sacrifices the men of the wars made for us, really funny in places too !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Humbled

This book is a reminder of what our troops faced in order for us to have our freedom
Harry patch is a true icon I was very moved and so glad he told us his story I now want to study about the First World War it can teach us about life in general, the human tragedy is unthinkable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating

Incredible piece of both social and Military history.
Well worth listening to whether you are interested in history or not.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An amazing story

A Brilliant insight into a world we were fortunate not to be born into, an wonderful country life shattered by the first mechanised war

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!