“R.F. Delderfield is a born storyteller.” ? Sunday Mirror “The beloved classic saga from master author R. F. Delderfield, subject of a landmark BBC miniseries.” To Serve Them All My Days is the moving saga of David Powlett-Jones, who returns from World War I injured and shell-shocked. He is hired to teach history at Bamfylde School, where he rejects the formal curriculum and teaches the causes … teaches the causes and consequences of the Great War.
Eventually David earns the respect of his students and many of his fellow teachers, against the backdrop of a country struggling to redefine itself. As David falls in love and finds himself on track to possibly take on the headmaster role, he must search to find the strength to hold true to his beliefs as the specter of another great war looms.
To Serve Them All My Days is a brilliant picture of England between the World Wars, as the country comes to terms with the horrors of the Great War and the new forces reshaping the British government and society.
Subject of a Landmark BBC Miniseries
Includes Bonus Reading Group Guide
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
“I sometimes still wake up in the morning and look forward to reading more about P.J. and Bamfylde.”
“From the stationmaster on the first page to the last boy on the last page, these characters all have a very human aspect that connects to you immediately.”
“This book should be in everyone’s library.”
“This is an ennobling book’it showed a person wounded in body and spirit who found that concentrating on the details of teaching the schoolboys under his care was, in a sense, a healing meditation.”
“?just the book for a cold rainy day’with a hot cup of tea and a scone.”
“Mr. Delderfield’s manner is easy, modest, heartwarming.”
Evening Standard
“He built an imposing artistic social history that promises to join those of his great forebears in the long, noble line of the English novel. His narratives belong in a tradition that goes back to John Galsworthy and Arnold Bennett.”
Life Magazine
“Sheer, wonderful storytelling.”
Chicago Tribune
“Highly recommended. Combines tension with a splendid sense of atmosphere and vivid characterisation. An excellent read.”
Sunday Express
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This is one of my favourite books. A moving saga of a British boarding school in the 1920’s/30’s with an inspirational teacher.
R. Delderfield’s To Serve Them All My Days opens with a shell-shocked veteran of three years on the Western Front being discharged from the hospital and seeking a teaching position at a boys’ school, Bamfylde. The next 600+ pages follow him through the years and decades as he endeavors to teach, lead, and ultimately serve the hundreds of boys who …