Lest We Forget

A monumental new history of British conflict, publishing for the eightieth anniversary of VE Day

'An impressive audit of the monuments all around us and their often forgotten back-stories. A hundred individual histories, skillfully assembled, built into a poignant meditation on why they still matter.' David Olusoga

Published for the eightieth anniversary of the end of World War Two, this moving book examines the inspirations and individuals behind our memorial-studded country. Acclaimed historian Tessa Dunlop travels the length and breadth of the United Kingdom on a quest to uncover a story of national warring and national mourning, of fighting each other and of fighting together. In so doing, Lest We Forget summons a stellar cast of veterans, military experts and families of the fallen to reveal what our monuments and war heroes say about us, both then and now.

Why did Scotland take nearly 600 years to commemorate its most famous freedom fighter? When did Wellington become anti-Establishment? Who are the Glorious Dead? Can the Cenotaph stay above politics? And how do you commemorate contested, asymmetrical wars?

Through veteran testimony and contemporary voices like Falklands hero Simon Weston and HRH The Duke of Kent, Tessa brings to life the pride and the pain involved in commemorating 2,000 years of war and peace across Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales in a monumental British story.

Lest We Forget, freedom is not free.

'In this wonderfully incisive, moving and timely book about commemoration, Dunlop breathes life into 100 British monuments - some famous, others less so - that together reveal our island story. A stunning achievement.' Saul David