Frederic Manning was born in Sydney, Australia in 1882. He moved to England in 1903 where he pursued a literary career, reviewing and writing poetry. He enlisted in 1915 in the Shropshire Light Infantry and went to France in 1916 as 'Private 19022.' The Shropshires saw heavy fighting on the Somme and Manning's four months there provided the background to Her Privates We. He died in 1935. Serpent's Tail originally published Her Privates We in 1999 [9781852427177].
[I read Her Privates We] every year to remember how things really were so that I will never lie to myself or anyone else about them -- Ernest Hemingway One of the very best writers we have -- T. S. Eliot The book of books as far as the British army is concerned -- TE Lawrence The best of our war novels -- E. M. Forster Manning's masterpiece ... incredibly moving and revelatory -- Gabriel Byrne * Irish Times *